Texas Children to Learn True Meaning of First Amendment

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:


Texas children to learn true meaning of First Amendment
By: WILL LUTZ
Special to the Examiner
05/21/10 4:58 PM EDT

The Texas State Board of Education voted 11-3 today to keep language in the social studies curriculum that directs teachers to “Examine the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America and guaranteed it free exercise by saying that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof and compare and contrast this to the phrase ‘separation of church and state.’” The elected board has 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats.

The fight over the establishment clause is part of a larger struggle over the public school social studies curriculum. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have accused Republicans on the board of politicizing their curriculum and not devoting sufficient attention to civil rights. Republicans, however, argue that they are promoting balance and ensuring that Texas students learn patriotism and the true intent of the Founding Fathers of our nation.

The state’s standardized tests and textbooks are required to be based on the curriculum adopted by the State Board of Education. Decisions made in Texas can often have an sizable impact on textbooks nationwide because the state is such a large purchaser of books.

Socially conservative groups immediately praised adoption of the amendment. “The new addition to have students compare and contrast ‘separation of church and state’ with the actual words of the Constitution is an excellent idea and will be a real service to the students,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of the conservative Liberty Institute. “It takes a true liberal extremist to oppose students reading the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is calling on the Texas Legislature to neuter the elected board.

The debate over the history standards continues all day today, with a final vote expected some time this evening.

[Sabre86]

Don't mess with Texas, commies.

[Sanguine]

Yep, Sabre86.

 

Split board gives final OK to social studies standards

 

By Kate Alexander

 

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

 

Updated: 10:38 p.m. Friday, May 21, 2010

 

State Board of Education members kept up their bitter, yearlong ideological tussling until the very end Friday, when they finally approved new social studies curriculum standards.

 

Despite two consecutive 15-hour days of discussion and changes, board members still had plenty of steam Friday to argue over issues great and small throughout the standards for history, government and economics that serve as the basis for textbooks and lessons in Texas' public schools.

 

They tackled Thomas Jefferson, religious freedom, communism and more before passing the high school standards on a 9-5 party-line vote, with Republicans in the majority. One Republican, Geraldine Miller of Dallas, had left the meeting before the vote.

 

The two members representing the Austin area, Ken Mercer and Cynthia Dunbar, voted with the majority.

 

The less contentious elementary and middle school standards were approved separately with the same vote tally; the high school economics standards won unanimous approval

 

Must have hurt the Unamerican Spaceman writers to have to report on this. The fact that is appears somewhat even-handed tells me that the democrats on the board must have been really, really out of line during the process.