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State Board of Education Chair Aaron Kinsey and member Audrey Young speak during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on June 22, 2026. The board is considering revisions that would place greater emphasis on Christian history and biblical content in public school classrooms.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Dozens of speakers called on the Texas State Board of Education <\/a>to move forward with a set of revised social studies standard<\/a>s during testimony that began Monday afternoon and stretched well into the night. Dozens more asked the board to amend the standards to give more attention to certain cultures or chapters in history.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s meeting represented the last opportunity for the public to weigh in<\/a> on the standards before the board takes them up for a final vote. More than 250 people signed up to give public testimony on the issue. Board members are expected to discuss proposed amendments in the coming days before taking a final vote on Friday.<\/p>\n Related: Texas is considering a bigger role for Christianity in schools this month. Here’s how<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The proposed standards would lay out what students are expected to learn in their social studies classes at each grade level. The standards have drawn controversy, with critics saying they place too much emphasis on Christianity while giving short shrift to other world religions. For example, biblical figures such as Abraham and Moses are included alongside figures from American and Texas history such as George Washington and Sam Houston.<\/p>\n The portrayal of Islam in the standards was a point of debate during the meeting. The mention of Islam in the proposed standards is limited, and mostly centers on conflicts like the Spanish Reconquista and acts of terrorism like those that occurred on Sept. 11. Earlier versions of the proposals included material dealing with the development of Algebra and astronomy in the Muslim world, but those were stripped out in the amendment process.<\/p>\n Related: Teaching about religion vs. teaching religion: Texas board hears debate on reading list with Bible verses<\/a><\/p>\n Yusuf Shaikh, a Plano ISD graduate, said accurate portrayal of Muslims in world history classes matters. When Muslim students see Islam portrayed in history textbooks only as a source of conflict and not its contributions to math, science and other disciplines, they can be left with the impression that they don\u2019t belong. He also noted that the seventh grade standards include the 1948 creation of the modern state of Israel, but don\u2019t mention the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that followed.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n