Texas' Christian-influenced curriculum spurs worries about bullying, church-state separation

Andy Wine thinks most children can understand the Golden Rule: talking over your peers is rude, insulting others is mean, and don't hurt people.

In short, Wine said it's common sense.

That's why the 43-year-old parent of two, who is an atheist, finds it appalling that the Texas Education Agency wants to incentivize public schools to teach the Golden Rule as a core value in the Bible.

Wine is a member of the Freethinkers Association of Central Texas, a social organization of religiously unaffiliated people.

"We teach kids to be nice to each other and to share," Wine said. "You don't need to bring up any religion in order to do it."

Religious and nonreligious groups have raised concerns like this since the TEA proposed a curriculum that would insert Bible teachings into K-5 reading and language arts lessons. They worry the increased emphasis on Christianity could lead non-Christian students to face bullying and isolation, undermine church-state separation, and grant the state too much control over how children are taught about religion.

Jackie Nirenberg is the regional director of Anti-Defamation League Austin, an organization fighting antisemitism and bias against Jewish communities.

"It's a question of inclusivity," Nirenberg said. "It's also a very slippery slope. Because once we open the door to that kind of content, it's much easier to get more and more religious content into the curriculum."

The State Board of Education will vote on the proposed curriculum in November. It is now available for public viewing and feedback online. The proposal came after the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1605, a law that directed the TEA to create its own free-to-use textbooks to help teachers save time preparing for classes.

If approved, school districts would decide whether to adopt the curriculum. Those that do would receive an incentive of up to $60 per student. The extra funds could be particularly attractive after the Legislature failed last year to approve a significant boost to the base amount of money every school gets per student, leaving them to grapple with multimillion-dollar budget deficits.

Religious and nonreligious organizations say they are reviewing the material and plan to show up at city council meetings, school boards and the Texas Capitol to voice their concerns.

Nabila Mansoor is a Muslim who is the executive director of Rise AAPI, which primarily serves Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

"What I hear a lot in Texas is parental rights - that we have the right to be able to make decisions about our children's education," Mansoor said. "And yet, this particular faith tradition is being superimposed on children who come from many different faith backgrounds and whose parents would find it very offensive."

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told The Texas Tribune in May that the curriculum as a whole - which consists of lesson plans for K-12 students and spans other subjects that don't include religious references like math and science - is based on extensive cognitive science research and will help improve student performance in reading and math.

Morath noted that religious references only make up a small "but appropriate" fraction of the content pie and that the textbooks mark a shift from a skills-based curriculum to a more "classical, broad-based liberal arts education." Conservatives nationwide are championing a similar approach to education, which Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described as "focusing on core academic subjects and rejecting indoctrination."

The proposed curriculum would prompt teachers to relay the story of The Good Samaritan - a parable about loving everyone, including your enemies - to kindergarteners as an example of what it means to follow the Golden Rule.

The story comes from the Bible, the lesson explains, and "was told by a man named Jesus" as part of his Sermon on the Mount, which included the phrase, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you."

Many other religions have their own version of the Golden Rule, which the lesson plan acknowledges.

A first-grade lesson about the Liberty Bell would teach students a story in which "God told Moses about the laws he wanted his people to follow - laws that were designed to help ensure that the Hebrew people lived in peace in the freedom of their new land."

There's also a fifth-grade lesson on Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper that challenges students to consider "how the disciples may have felt upon hearing Jesus telling them about his betrayal and death."

References to other religions are also included. A second-grade lesson highlights the Jewish celebration of Purim. A fourth-grade poetry unit includes Kshemendra, a poet from India who "studied Buddhism and Hinduism."

The materials drew praise from top Republican officials while raising eyebrows among some school district leaders, parents, and education advocates. A handful of people who testified at an SBOE meeting last month raised questions about the lessons' age-appropriateness, their potential impact on non-Christian children, and the motives behind the heavier Christian emphasis. Some people said they believe TEA officials are making curriculum decisions based on their personal beliefs.

Megan Benton, a strategic policy associate at Texas Values, an organization that describes itself as being dedicated to the Judeo-Christian faith, family, and freedom, said her group supports "an objective reading of the Bible and other religious texts" in public schools.

"In fact, they'll elevate the quality of education being offered to all Texas students by giving them a well-rounded understanding of important texts and their impact on the world," Benton said about references to religious texts.

But critics worry the TEA's proposal is a symptom of a growing Christian nationalist movement, the belief that the United States' founding was ordained by God and that its laws and institutions should favor Christians.

Texas is one of the most religiously diverse states in the nation. According to a study conducted in 2007 and 2014 by the Pew Research Center, 77% of adults adhere to some form of Christianity. Non-Christian faiths, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, constitute 4% of adults, while 18% are not affiliated with any religion.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans - and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.