A coalition of legal groups is urging Texas school districts to reject a new state curriculum that they say excessively emphasizes Christianity. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and other organizations argue that the 'Bluebonnet Learning' curriculum violates the constitutional separation of church and state by imposing religious beliefs on students. They warn of potential legal action if the curriculum is adopted.
A coalition of legal organizations on Thursday called on Texas school district leaders to reject the adoption of a recently approved state curriculum heavily infused with references to Christianity and biblical teachings.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Center for Inquiry and the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent superintendents and their school boards Thursday telling them that adopting the curriculum, called Bluebonnet Learning, would “unlawfully impose a set of religious beliefs upon your students and violate their constitutionally guaranteed right to be free from religious coercion.” The letter suggests a willingness by the groups to take legal action to stop Texas schools from adopting the materials. “Our organizations, which have long fought for religious freedom for all, will closely monitor any school district across the state that considers implementing the Bluebonnet curriculum and will take any action that is necessary and appropriate to protect the rights of Texas children and their parents,” the letter reads. In a statement to The Texas Tribune responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency said “public schools may not provide religious instruction, and there is no religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning.”Exxon Mobil’s strong fourth quarter fueled by rising production in the Permian, Guyana“Bluebonnet Learning is comprised of instructional materials that have a broad base of topics including history, literature, the arts and culture which, when contextually relevant, can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths,” the statement said. “The materials include content from or about varied religious source materials for the literary and historical value of the content and its connection to creating a strong background of knowledge for students.” Schools that choose to adopt the materials this year could begin using them for free at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The state will offer an incentive of $60 per student to districts that choose to do so. The education agency said the funding would allow schools to offset the costs of printing the curriculum’s materials. The curriculum uses reading and language arts lessons to advance or establish concepts in other subjects, such as history and social studies. Many of the lesson’s critics, which include religious studies scholars, note that the curriculum’s lessons reference Christianity more than any other religion. They believe the disparity could lead to the, which holds the belief that the United States’ founding was ordained by God and that its laws and institutions should favor Christians. Education officials and advocates for the curriculum say references to Christianity will provide students with a better understanding of the country’s history and the impact of important texts like the Bible on the world. They say the materials cover a broad range of faiths and only make references to religion when appropriat
TEXAS SCHOOL CURRICULUM CHRISTIANITY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS LEGAL CHALLENGE
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