Latest news with #Bible-infused
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Key vote moves Texas closer to displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools
Key vote moves Texas closer to displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools Show Caption Hide Caption Texas school board approves Bible-infused curriculum The vote in Texas to allow Bible stories in public school course materials is part of a trend across the region sometimes dubbed the Bible Belt. The Texas House of Representatives advanced a bill requiring all public schools in the state to display the Ten Commandments in the classroom, the latest effort by conservative-led states to integrate religion into public education. The Republican-controlled House voted 82-46 to approve a version of Senate Bill 10 on May 25 after about a week of debate and several attempts by Democratic lawmakers to amend the bill to require other religious texts from Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism be posted in classrooms. Those amendments were rejected. The bill was passed with an amendment to clarify that the state, instead of schools or school districts, will defend and pay for any legal challenges to the law. The legislation likely faces legal action as critics have raised concerns over its potential violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits public schools from providing religious instruction" in a devotional manner or prescribing "prayers to be recited by students or by school authorities." Supporters of the bill have argued that the Ten Commandments are a foundational aspect of U.S. history, according to The Texas Tribune. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure, which would take effect in September. The state Senate passed the bill in March with a 20-11 vote. The bill would require all public classrooms to display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments that is at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall. No school would be exempt from the bill, and schools that do not post the Christian doctrine would be required to "accept any offer of a privately donated poster or framed copy." Related: What to know about charter schools after the latest Supreme Court ruling Republican-led states push for religion in public schools Conservative lawmakers across the country have been leading an effort to spread religious teachings to public school classrooms, including introducing the Bible into reading lessons and requiring classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. In states where evangelical Christians make up a sizable portion of constituents, incorporating Bible teachings into the curriculum has gained traction, Ira C. Lupu, a professor at George Washington University School of Law who has written on religion in the First Amendment, previously told USA TODAY. In Louisiana, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law in June 2024 directing every public classroom to display the Ten Commandments. The law was later blocked by a federal judge who declared it unconstitutional, and was also challenged by parents and several civil rights groups. A similar law was recently passed in Arkansas, Little Rock Public Radio reported in April. In November 2024, Texas officials proposed a curriculum incorporating teachings from the Bible in schools. In July 2024, Oklahoma's top education official ordered public schools to teach the Bible, which large state school districts have largely ignored. Despite the state's Republican-controlled Legislature's rejection of his $3 million request to fund the effort, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has insisted that classrooms would all have Bibles by fall 2025. School administrators and civil rights advocates have been pushing back, saying these mandates violate students' rights. 'Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise," Megan Lambert, legal director of the ACLU of Oklahoma, said in a statement in response to Walters' directive last year. Contributing: Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY; Murray Evans, The Oklahoman
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fort Worth ISD reveals new lesson structures to help improve academic performance
As students in the Fort Worth Independent School District wrap up their last week of school, Superintendent Karen Molinar revealed details about how classroom lessons will be structured upon their return to school in the fall. Molinar gave a presentation to the school board on Tuesday, May 20, of Fort Worth ISD's new instructional framework that will go into effect in the 2025-26 school year for literacy and math. The framework is one of the components of the district's effort to turn around its stagnant academic performance. The goal is to promote consistency in the classroom and reduce planning time for teachers while keeping their autonomy intact. Beyond literacy and math, the framework will apply to all subjects for kindergarten through eighth grade, Molinar said. A framework for high school lessons is in the works. Molinar explained in-depth the three parts of the instructional framework: first teach; demonstration of learning; and reteach and challenge. First teach, the initial layer of instruction known as tier one instruction, includes addressing gaps students have in prerequisite skills, adjusting what students are learning or how they're learning it, and using techniques that allow students to participate and share their thinking during a lesson. 'Regardless of where they come in at, that first teach always has to be at grade level. If they're reading on a second-grade level, but they're in the third grade, they're always going to receive that third-grade instruction,' Molinar said. The second part, demonstration of learning, consists of no more than five questions that are aligned with the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, exam to gauge what students took away from the lesson. The final reteach and challenge block involves grouping students based on how they performed with their demonstration of learning to receive additional support if needed. Students who 'meet' or 'master' the material do enrichment activities to further their learning. District officials will provide teachers with lesson slide decks and questions for the demonstrations of learning to be used as guides during class time. The slide decks and lesson materials will be linked together in one place through an online portal. 'The lesson planning is done for the teachers. The delivery is the autonomy of the teacher,' Molinar said. 'Teachers are now going to be able to plan weeks in advance and really be able to adjust.' Molinar also presented a funding overview for various options of reading and math curriculum approved by the State Board of Education, which included the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum. Bluebonnet's literacy curriculum has sparked controversy for its Bible-infused reading materials. Molinar focused on the math portion of the Bluebonnet curriculum, including a presentation slide with bullet points explaining why it was 'a better choice for Fort Worth ISD.' Among the examples she mentioned were its instructional support for teachers, emergent bilingual students and students who previously have struggled with math. It also replicates the district's current curriculum, Eureka Math and Carnegie Learning, so teachers won't have to learn an entirely new curriculum. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Fort Worth ISD board approves plan to close 18 schools → TCU student murder case moves toward trial → Mansfield ISD board approves superintendent's contract [Get our breaking news alerts.] The school board approved the adoption and roughly $2 million purchase of the Bluebonnet Learning math curriculum later on in the meeting, in an 8-0 vote without discussion. School board member Wallace Bridges was absent. 'If there's a better resource for our students, and we're getting funding from the state, it's our obligation to put that in front of them and to make sure our teachers have the best curriculum and the best resources for our students,' Molinar said. Molinar also shared the district's update for dyslexia screening, which includes adding another screening for seventh-grade students. When students are taking their beginning-of-the-year MAP test, middle schools will do screening for seventh-graders identified by the district. By the end of the first six weeks of school, or Sept. 19, families will be given a data analysis of their child's screening with a literacy support plan. Students suspected of having dyslexia, or other disabilities under the umbrella of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, will be evaluated by district staff within 45 school days of staff receiving parental consent to do the evaluation.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bible-infused lessons in Texas schools ignore the law and hurt students like me
Starting this fall, a Bible-influenced curriculum approved by the State Board of Education last November will be allowed in Texas public elementary schools. The lessons could reach as many as 7,000 schools and 2 million K-5 students. As a second-generation Hindu teenager in Texas public schools, I find this curriculum worrying. Minority students can feel socially ostracized. Adding lessons that emphasize one religious tradition will increase social alienation for those who don't identify with that faith. Secular education, which has contributed to maintaining peace in classrooms, is being threatened. Young students rarely understand religious differences between themselves and their peers, in my experience. When a particular tradition — whether a place of worship or dietary restriction — is presented as "correct" or "better," those outside that tradition feel demeaned. Public elementary schools should not teach about the Bible. Period. The First Amendment mandates the separation of church and state, and the Fourteenth Amendment requires individual states to comply with all other Amendments. The Bible is a religious text. Public schools are state funded. Texas should not be endorsing religious material in elementary schools. Schools are not religion-free, but teachers must remain impartial during instructional periods. Student-led activities during free periods, like my school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes club, are protected. A Bible-infused school curriculum, however, sanctions religious expression in class by teachers and the school. In the case of Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a Pennsylvania school district's mandatory Bible readings were unconstitutional, even though individual students were allowed to opt out in rare cases. Even if a Texas school's decision to use the Bible-infused curriculum is optional, the U.S. Supreme Court has already thwarted an attempt at religious instruction in public schools. Furthermore, the judicial system is 100% backed up by the Constitution. Proponents argue that Christianity is a major part of U.S. history and will enrich humanities lessons. But 26% of Texans are religiously unaffiliated, while 6% practice non-Christian religions. A Bible-influenced curriculum disregards a third of the state population. The curriculum inserts Biblical stories into previously secular subjects. English is a required subject for K-5 public schools. In the subject textbook, the new curriculum includes scientific lessons alongside a unit called 'Serving Our Neighbors,' which emphasizes Jewish and Christian scriptures. By placing a religious chapter next to nonspiritual lessons, the textbook presents a certain religious tradition as the default, alienating students from other faiths. I recall arguing with classmates in third grade about God, reflecting our various faiths. We disagreed on God's abilities, whether he could walk on hot surfaces or fly, among other superpowers. As young children, we struggled to understand each other, and our teacher had to intervene. Infusing education with a majority religion worsens divisions for minorities. Although Christianity influences U.S. culture, religious pluralism is an important part of America's constitutional fabric. Public education should reflect those values rather than religious superiority. Though adoption of this new curriculum is optional for schools, they will receive additional funding if they do so. A 2024 Kinder Institute study found that 73% of Texas school districts are underfunded, and the most financially strained districts are more likely to have student achievement ratings of C or lower. State funds being reserved to reward religious education should instead be used to increase teacher salaries and improve educational opportunities. It is frustrating that underfunded schools are pressured to adopt a Bible-infused curriculum. Students like myself have attended primary schools for years to develop basic skills and identities. Controversial topics being taught, or worse, strangled in a biased environment, undermine our educational fabric. They threaten the future of my fellow students and minorities. All students deserve to feel valued in their classrooms, not subjected to alienation or divisions along religious and cultural lines. Rajasi Agarwal is a ninth grader at Westlake High School. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Teaching the Bible in Texas schools hurts students like me | Opinion
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Montessori school to open in NE Oklahoma City amid approval by the charter school board
A nonprofit organization can start a new Montessori charter school in northeast Oklahoma City after its application was approved Monday by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board. Legacy Learning Inc.'s approval for the charter school comes after two failed attempts to open an early childhood center after the school boards of both Oklahoma City Public Schools and Millwood Public Schools voted in 2023 to reject applications to establish the charter school. Standing for play, process and progress, the P3 Urban Montessori will serve students from age 3 through kindergarten who live in the 73111 ZIP code, a majority Black and low-income area in northeast Oklahoma City. More: Oklahoma Supreme Court pauses Ryan Walters' attempt to buy Bibles, Bible-infused curriculum Montessori schools emphasize hands-on learning, practical life activities and flexible learning styles. The Montessori model offers a modified dedication method that strives for independence and self-discipline. The P3 Urban Montessori appealed to the charter school board and sought to open for the 2025-26 academic year. However, the board approved the charter to open in the 2026-27 academic year with the condition that it takes action to resolve weaknesses in its application. According to a presentation by Jaycie Smith, SCSB academic compliance officer, the areas of weakness in the application include its special education services, a lack of mention of norm-referenced measures of academic growth, organizational misalignments and budgetary inconsistencies. To open its Montessori school, Legacy Learning Inc. must resolve its analyzed weaknesses by August 31, according to the motion made by the board. One board member, David Rutkauskas, said the bureaucratic system has been unfair to the P3 founders, adding that there's a high need for something like the Montessori school in the community. The board's chairman, Brian Shellem, said if P3 wanted to open in 2025, "They should have their stuff together." "I will tell you that in another circumstance that our recommendation today would probably have been to you to reject the application, allow them the opportunity to go back and revise the application, bring it back for reconsideration," said Rebecca Wilkinson, the board's executive director. After discussing the charter school's application for about an hour, the board approved it in a unanimous vote. "We'll make you proud," said Cecilia Robinson-Woods, one of the leading founders of P3 and its executive director. Robinson-Woods is currently Millwood schools' superintendent. She'll remain the district's leader as she guides the P3. During her presentation, Smith also presented several strengths in P3's application, including "a sound curriculum and instruction program," a "strong mission and vision," community partnerships and a year-round calendar. "If you have a student that lives in the northeast part of Oklahoma City, they do not have this as a choice for schooling from age 3 to 5," Smith said. The school will partner with Oklahoma City University's Montessori teacher certificate program to develop educators and "support their staff through professional learning opportunities," Smith said. The charter currently has three churches that have shown interest in housing the school. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Public Montessori school to open in northeast Oklahoma City
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Supreme Court pauses Ryan Walters' attempt to buy Bibles, Bible-infused curriculum
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has halted so-called 'request for proposals' for Bibles and Bible curriculum for Oklahoma classrooms, but has left open the question about the constitutionality of state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' Bible-teaching mandate for state schools. The order, signed by Chief Justice Dustin Rowe, was issued Monday. In the past two weeks, there have been a flurry of filings in the lawsuit, which was originally filed Oct. 17. The lawsuit asked the court to halt Walters' mandate, issued in June, and bar Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education from spending $3 million in state money on Bibles. The agency is attempting a second 'request for proposals' seeking bidders to provide Bibles for classrooms. The original request was written in such a way that very few versions of the Bible — namely one endorsed by President Donald Trump — appear to meet all the standards specified. The state Office of Management and Enterprise Services, a defendant in the lawsuit, had asked the court to order it to stop working on processing two request for proposals, or RFPs, from the Oklahoma State Department of Education — one for the Bibles, a second for Bible-infused curriculum for elementary classrooms — until the court issues a final decision. The agency had told the plaintiffs it was legally obligated to proceed with processing the RFPs until a court directive ordering it to do otherwise is issued. Rowe's decision said a ruling on the plaintiff's request to enjoin Walters from 'taking any other action to implement or enforce the Bible Education Mandate is deferred to the decisional stage.' Walters' desire was to spend $3 million in money from the fiscal year that ended in June for Bibles — the current RFP — and $3 million from the current fiscal year for more Bibles. The Oklahoma Senate's education budget subcommittee didn't include the $3 million Walters requested for the current fiscal year in its recommendation for this year's state Education Department budget. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Supreme Court pauses Ryan Walters' attempt to buy Bibles
