You win, Veggie Tales. The Bible is officially making its way into the Texas public school curriculum. This decision comes after the Republican-led State Board of Education approved a new mandatory reading list on Friday, in a decision that also facilitates the rewriting of middle grade social studies lessons to skew…well, I bet you can guess.
What’s on the syllabus in our brave new state of Church? As William Brangham at PBS reported, starting in the first grade, Texas students will now be assigned “at least one mandatory Bible passage per year” along with more typical English class fare, like Charlotte’s Web, Night, and Hamlet.
Approved bible excerpts include stories like Adam and Eve’s, David and Goliath’s, Job’s, the eight Beatitudes, and the parables of the Prodigal Son and the good Samaritan (respectively).
Certain gospels will also be framed as companion reads to contextualize non-religious literature. As the Times reported Friday, Lone Star 12th graders will now have to analyze the “Definition of Love” from First Corinthians alongside Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Even though Jane’s definition really needs no punch-ups, in this reader’s opinion.
As Jaden Edison at the Texas Tribune reports, the new social studies lesson plans aim to emphasize American exceptionalism, narrativize the country’s origins as explicitly Christian, and “minimize racial, geographic, and cultural diversity.” Angry historians have noted that the new plans will de-center world events, and downplay the significance of race-related events in American history.
