Winehole23
11-20-2024, 09:53 AM
Conservative and liberal Jews quoted in the article don't seem favorably impressed.
Public schools aren't the place for religious instruction, but chronically underfunded Texas schools will be hard pressed to pass up the per student bounty.
The curriculum, known as Bluebonnet Learning (https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/bluebonnet-learning) and developed by the Texas Education Agency (https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/news-releases/news-2024/texas-education-agency-releases-updated-bluebonnet-learning-instructional-materials), first made headlines in the spring, when it was introduced for public feedback. It immediately drew criticism for prioritizing Christianity at the expense of other religions, including inaccurate Jewish content and devoting little attention to Islam. (A brief mention of the Prophet Muhammad was added to a revised draft.)
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teaching the Bible in public schools is allowed, (https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/should-the-bible-be-taught-in-public-schools/2024/07) as long as it doesn’t cross into mandatory religious activity (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1962/142), which would be a violation of the First Amendment. Texas’ Bluebonnet curriculum uses Bible stories not to teach about religion, though, but for lessons in art appreciation, math, poetry and other subjects.
The Texas State Board of Education is expected to make a final decision about the curriculum on Friday. If approved, schools would not be required to adopt the Bluebonnet curriculum; Texas’ 1,207 school districts (https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/general-information/finding-a-school-for-your-child/finding-a-school#:~:text=Finding%20a%20school%20among%20Texa s,9%2C000%20campuses%2C%20can%20be%20daunting.) would each decide whether to adopt it. The state will be offering financial incentives to the districts that implement Bluebonnet: $60 per student.Texas Bluebonnet: Board of Education votes on Bible lessons – The Forward (https://forward.com/news/676477/texas-bluebonnet-bible-esther-board-of-education/)
Public schools aren't the place for religious instruction, but chronically underfunded Texas schools will be hard pressed to pass up the per student bounty.
The curriculum, known as Bluebonnet Learning (https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/bluebonnet-learning) and developed by the Texas Education Agency (https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/news-releases/news-2024/texas-education-agency-releases-updated-bluebonnet-learning-instructional-materials), first made headlines in the spring, when it was introduced for public feedback. It immediately drew criticism for prioritizing Christianity at the expense of other religions, including inaccurate Jewish content and devoting little attention to Islam. (A brief mention of the Prophet Muhammad was added to a revised draft.)
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teaching the Bible in public schools is allowed, (https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/should-the-bible-be-taught-in-public-schools/2024/07) as long as it doesn’t cross into mandatory religious activity (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1962/142), which would be a violation of the First Amendment. Texas’ Bluebonnet curriculum uses Bible stories not to teach about religion, though, but for lessons in art appreciation, math, poetry and other subjects.
The Texas State Board of Education is expected to make a final decision about the curriculum on Friday. If approved, schools would not be required to adopt the Bluebonnet curriculum; Texas’ 1,207 school districts (https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/general-information/finding-a-school-for-your-child/finding-a-school#:~:text=Finding%20a%20school%20among%20Texa s,9%2C000%20campuses%2C%20can%20be%20daunting.) would each decide whether to adopt it. The state will be offering financial incentives to the districts that implement Bluebonnet: $60 per student.Texas Bluebonnet: Board of Education votes on Bible lessons – The Forward (https://forward.com/news/676477/texas-bluebonnet-bible-esther-board-of-education/)