Protect our kids. Protect our faith freedom.
Texas is playing fast and loose with its standards for educating children, as the Texas State Board of Education is revising its standards for social studies curriculum and has proposed a required reading list for every public school student in Texas.
Both decisions affect what millions of Texas children learn — and both were made by the same small group of political insiders without meaningful input from parents, teachers, or faith communities.
In April, you pushed back against the group of nine political appointees known as “content advisors” who want to force their religious views onto public school students in Texas.
In The News
Read About Our Shared Efforts
-
New York Times
Texas Public School Students May Soon Be Required to Read the Bible
David Segal, a rabbi who works for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, testified that the list shows a preference for evangelical Christian versions of the Bible, often the King James version, that risks “an unconstitutional endorsement” of religion.
-
Austin American-Statesman
Inside the Texas SBOE meeting and protest over proposed social studies standards: See photos
The Rev. Lisa Endean-Jacob and Blake Ziegler, field organizer for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, display a poster highlighting constitutional and legal protections for religious freedom during an interfaith funeral-themed protest.
-
The Texas Tribune
As supporters praise Texas’ proposed “Judeo-Christian” curriculum, rabbis say it dismisses Judaism
But [Rabbi David Segal] said Jewish texts should not be taught “through a Christian lens” or be insensitively paired with Holocaust literature.
Take Action in June
-
Action Ended
Join Us in Austin to Testify
We headed to Austin the week of June 22 to testify before the SBOE about their required reading list.
-
Now Closed
Public Comments
We asked you to tell the SBOE to reject the TEA’s proposed reading list, and many of you filed public comments before the June 15 deadline! Thank you! If you haven’t sent them to us, we’d love to see them — forward your email to [email protected]. The comment period is now closed, but you can still check out the resources we shared.
-
Now Closed
Letter from Clergy and Faith Leaders
We invited pastors, rabbis, imams, priests, or faith leaders of any tradition to add their name to a clergy sign-on letter, and we sent it directly to the State Board of Education on June 15. Board members need to hear that the faith community is paying attention and that what they decide in these meetings reaches all the way into our congregations and our kids’ classrooms. Nearly 200 clergy and faith leaders signed a similar letter in April.
Resources from Previous Events
-
Fact Sheet
What’s happening with Texas public schools? This one-page fact sheet explains the problems with how the Texas SBOE is rewritig the social studies curriculum and what it means for your kids.
-
Talking Points
Why is the proposed reading list so problematic? What are some key things to know and say about the proposed required reading list? These talking points will help guide conversations.
-
Testimony Tips
How do you testify before a public hearing? What are the best ways to structure your statement? Check out this 1-page guide with some tips and suggestions for making an impact.
-
Background
How did we get here? What has happened to this process? Check out an article from the Social Studies Advocate on Substack that gives an overview of the process.
-
Previous Victory
Your effotts matter against problematic bills! In March, nearly all of the 1,200 school districts in Texas said “no” to adopting periods of state-organized prayer.
