The State Board of Education has two pivotal votes slated for this week that would usher in new changes: one on a rewrite of Texas’ social studies lessons, the other on a reading list for all public schools that includes teaching Christian stories.
On Monday, board members heard from almost 500 people who signed up to testify in a hearing that included teachers, students and community members concerned about the materials ahead of a scheduled preliminary vote.
The new social studies proposal represents a transformation in how Texas schools have long administered lessons on history, geography, economics and government. It eliminates the current sixth-grade world cultures course, deemphasizes world history outside of European tradition and dedicates more focus to Texas and the United States.
The statewide reading list would require, among other literary works, that schools teach Bible stories to children as young as 6 years old up to young adults preparing to receive their diplomas.
If approved by the education board this week, both changes would take effect during the 2030-31 school year.
Currently, sociology classes require students to understand “the impact of race and ethnicity on society” and “analyze the varying treatment patterns of minority groups.” But this will not be included in the new proposed social studies plan.
English teachers stressed during the meeting that many of the books on the proposed reading list do not align with what Texas requires them to teach, despite taking up most of roughly 36 weeks of instructional time in an academic year.
A panel of nine advisers guided the social studies overhaul, almost all of whom hold no Texas K-12 classroom experience.
All proposed new rules, proposed amendments to existing rules, and proposed repeals approved for first reading by the State Board of Education (SBOE) and filed with the Texas Register were available on the SOB website.