AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to revised high school social studies standards that change how schools will teach topics including Islam, Christianity, U.S. history, government and world geography.
The Republican-majority board approved the curriculum after public testimony from dozens of people, most of whom opposed parts of the final version.
One provision states that “radical Islam” motivated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, rather than limiting the discussion to the specific terrorist organizations that carried out the attacks.
The standards also direct students to study early Islam through references to Prophet Muhammad’s military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the “normalization of slavery” and the capture of women as “harem slaves.”
Several Democratic board members challenged the wording, while Muslim organizations, students and curriculum experts also urged the board to remove or revise the material.
Habiiba Quresh, a 15-year-old Muslim student who testified before the board, said the language made her feel that her religion did not belong in the classroom.
“I feel attacked, as if my religion doesn’t belong,” Quresh said, according to The Texas Tribune. “I shouldn’t have to defend my religion in the middle of history class because of one sentence someone on this board wrote.”
At least three curriculum experts appointed by the board also raised concerns about the material.
Andrea Hutchison, a social studies curriculum coordinator for Prosper ISD, said the material did not withstand “close historical scrutiny,” according to the Tribune.
Robert Koons, a philosophy professor at the University of Texas at Austin, questioned the reliability of the sources behind some of the claims. He urged the board to rely on material supported by well-established secular sources.
The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized the board’s decision, saying the curriculum unfairly targets Islam and omits parts of Palestinian history.
CAIR Texas and CAIR Action Texas said students deserve curriculum that presents historical information accurately and does not portray religious or ethnic groups as threats.
Board Chair Aaron Kinsey defended the revisions, saying critics had sensationalized the issues and portrayed the curriculum as more divisive than it was.
Kinsey said board members had worked through the issues through a democratic process and called the final standards an “exceptional” overall result.
Republican board member Julie Pickren also praised the vote, saying she had worked on the legislation behind the changes for more than a decade.
The revised curriculum is expected to reach Texas classrooms beginning in the 2030-31 school year.