Austin, TX — Today, Rep. James Talarico questioned TEA Commissioner Mike Morath in the Texas House Committee on Public Education regarding the new public elementary school curriculum that teaches Christian Bible stories as historical fact. Rep. Talarico’s questions centered on the injection of Bible lessons in Texas public school classrooms from kindergarten to fifth grade. The new Christian-infused curriculum raised concerns regarding the constitutionality of the government requiring educators to teach Christian lessons, and the exclusion of non-Christian students. In the new curriculum, the State of Texas removed lessons on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism — but added multiple sections on Christianity and wrote new lessons teaching Bible stories to elementary school children as historical fact. Additionally, HB 1605 explicitly grants immunity to teachers who use the new curriculum, protecting them from accusations of violating the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution — colloquially known as the separation of church and state. The Texas State Board of Education is still in the process of making modifications to the proposed curriculum, including incorporating public comment. Texans can register their public comment here: https://texasresourcereview.org/public-comments “I’m for high-quality curriculum, but not when it violates the United States Constitution,” said Rep. Talarico. “It’s hard to be different as a kid. If you’re a Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist kid going to Texas public schools, it’s hard enough. Now your teacher is teaching Bible stories because some politicians in Austin are forcing them to. Public schools are not Sunday schools. Or as Governor Abbott is fond of saying: ‘Schools are for education, not indoctrination.’”

The post Rep. James Talarico Calls Out Texas Education Commissioner for Infusing State Curriculum with Christian Nationalism appeared first on African American News and Issues.