Texas Classrooms at a Crossroads: Faith, History, and the Fight Over What Students Learn
Texas public school classrooms are on the verge of a significant transformation — one that critics say blurs the line between education and religious instruction. This week, the State Board of Education (SBOE) is holding two pivotal votes that could reshape what the state’s 5.5 million public school students learn for the next decade.
The Republican-majority 15-member board is expected to give final approval to sweeping changes in both social studies curriculum standards and required reading lists. If passed, the new social studies framework would embed Christian themes throughout K–12 history lessons, while a revised reading list would include Bible stories as required texts.
According to SMU religious studies professor Mark Chancey, the intent is clear: “There’s a concerted effort to teach history from a perspective that highlights Christian contributions and ignores others. Christian contributions to American society are emphasized, but not those of other groups, other peoples.”
Under the proposed social studies standards, third-graders would learn about Moses’ “contributions as a law-giver through the Ten Commandments” and explore “how Christian beliefs helped shape American ideas about equality, rights, and treating people with dignity.” A board-appointed academic adviser described the broader goal as creating “an American and Texas identity.” Critics argue that this framing excludes the very diversity that defines the American story — minimizing the roles of non-Christian faiths, indigenous peoples, and racial and ethnic minorities.
The Texas Freedom Network‘s political director, Rocia Fierro-Perez, put it plainly: attributing foundational American values exclusively to Christianity “misrepresents the world and ignores the contributions of other beliefs that help shape American culture.”
Austin ISD parent Thomas Gomez, who planned to testify before the board, echoed those concerns, saying students need an education that prepares them “for interacting with other people.”
Hovering over all of this is a deeper constitutional question: the separation of church and state. The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause prohibits the government from favoring one religion over others — yet Texas has been aggressively pushing religion into its public schools on multiple fronts.
In addition to the curriculum votes this week, the state is already requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom under Senate Bill 10, signed by Governor Greg Abbott. In April 2026, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law in a narrow 9-8 ruling, reversing a lower court block. The ACLU, which represented 18 families challenging the law, called the decision a violation of “fundamental First Amendment principles” and announced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A dissenting judge wrote that the Constitution’s framers “intended disestablishment of religion, above all to prevent large religious sects from using political power to impose their religion on others” — and argued that is precisely what Texas is doing.
If the curriculum changes pass, they are set to go into effect in 2030 — giving school districts time to adapt, but also time to brace for the legal challenges likely to follow. Opponents from the Texas Freedom Network plan to testify before the board this week, though Fierro-Perez noted that “a reasonable conversation with members seems further and further away.”
Laurie Cardoza-Moore from Proclaiming Justice to the Nations joins us to talk about the Texas State Board of Education considering social studies curriculum changes and the influence of anti-American and anti-Judeo-Christian propaganda.
(Episode from June 19, 2026)
Pam Little of the Texas State Board of Education delves into the recent shifts in social studies curriculum standards in Texas.
(Episode from June 5, 2026)
What is clear is that the decisions made in Austin this week will not stay in Austin. Texas is one of the largest textbook markets in the nation, meaning its curriculum standards can ripple into classrooms across the country. For educators, parents, and students of all faiths — and of no faith — the stakes could not be higher.
Sources:
- Houston Public Media / KERA (Bill Zeeble), “State Board of Education to vote on new curriculum emphasizing Texas, Christian themes,” June 22, 2026. houstonpublicmedia.org
- TPR News, “State Board of Education to vote on new curriculum emphasizing Texas, Christian themes,” June 22, 2026. tpr.org
- CBS Austin, “State Board of Education to vote on social studies curriculum changes amid pushback,” April 7, 2026. cbsaustin.com
- Education Week, “Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments Law,” April 22, 2026. edweek.org
- PBS NewsHour / Associated Press, “Appeals court rules Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in class,” April 22, 2026. pbs.org
- The Texas Tribune (Jaden Edison), “Texas can require Ten Commandments in classrooms, court says,” January 20, 2026. texastribune.org
- ACLU Press Release, “Texas Families Sue to Block Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Every Public-School Classroom,” July 2, 2025. aclu.org
A petition, backed by Save Austin Now, sent to Austin officials earlier this month regarding a proposed charter amendment related to city spending and accountability, has been certified by the Austin city clerk, moving the amendment forward to the November ballot.
Austin ISD is hosting a virtual open house at 6 p.m. this evening to discuss possible changes to where some students attend classes this fall.
City officials announced yesterday that Barton Springs Pool is reopening today after being closed for about one week due to recent flooding.
Deep Eddy Pool remains closed through June 28.
Following an investigation utilizing local surveillance footage (including videos from a nearby H-E-B and a Wells Fargo ATM), the Austin Police Department identified and arrested two suspects in the murder of 28-year-old Jose Salgado-Amador who was working as a mechanic late at night on June 15 in an AutoZone parking lot off East Riverside Drive. (Austin Police Department)
A suspect in Austin’s 36-hour crime spree last month now faces terrorism charges, citing 13 shootings, attacks on two fire stations, stolen vehicles, and four people injured.
Capital Area Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information identifying the person in the video posted below. He is believed to have information about the homicide that occurred in Manor on September 25, 2025
Williamson County Commissioners will not meet today.
Meanwhile, Williamson County is set to open its new $90 million administrative facility to provide more space and updated resources.
A third-party contractor working on the construction of Samsung Electronics’ chip plant in Taylor was fined nearly $40,000 after one of its employees fell from a raised platform. (Austin American-Statesman)
Meta, the parent company of Facebook has been seeking subtenants to fill 589,000 square feet of office space at Sixth and Guadalupe that it never used. Now the social media giant has secured another user on its way to filling up the tower with occupants. (Austin Business Journal)
CapMetro officials swore in a new assistant chief, a captain and two officers Monday, including one just starting his career with the department.
WEATHER
MONDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
At least 222 Air Force trainees have gotten sick during a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base, as criticism grows over the Pentagon’s decision to end mandatory flu vaccinations earlier this year. (Texas Public Radio)
The city of San Antonio appears to be keeping a concert by Ye on the city-owned Alamodome’s schedule despite blowback from Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and other elected officials over the rapper’s history of antisemitism.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in an active homicide investigation.
Hardeman County Sheriff Patrick Dean Laughery announced his resignation.
Meanwhile, Johnson County Sheriff Adam King’s trial begins today. King is accused of retaliating against a female employee who filed a human resources complaint against him for sexual harassment.
The City of Temple has ordered the temporary closure of the Temple Mall, citing unresolved fire and building code violations that officials say pose life-safety concerns.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says his office is investigating a data breach at Carnival Cruise Line that the company says affected about six million customers, including roughly 800,000 Texans.
Three new cases on New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas.
After a contentious primary, Texas Democrats will host their state convention in Corpus Christi this week.
Texas’ Supreme Court hands down a major ruling that looks like a win for SpaceX on the surface but leaves open serious questions about a clause in the Texas Constitution.
(Episode from June 22, 2026)
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s overhaul of an immigration verification system to check voter eligibility across the nation, striking down a central pillar of the government’s efforts to exercise more federal control over elections. (Texas Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted more than $10.1 million worth of suspected methamphetamine during a major drug bust at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo.
A group of well-known civil rights and criminal defense attorneys announced Monday that they are representing Karmelo Anthony pro bono in the appeal of his murder conviction and 35-year sentence in the death of Austin Metcalf.
SPORTS
MLB: A win for the Texas Rangers last night. They’ve won three of their last four games.
Brandon Nimmo had three hits and walked once, Alejandro Osuna hit a go-ahead RBI double and the Texas Rangers beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Monday night. Ezequiel Duran homered and Joc Pederson singled twice for the Rangers in the opener of a 10-game road trip.
The loss snapped the Marlins’ eight-game home win streak. (Associated Press)
Pinch-hitter Myles Straw drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with one of Toronto’s three sacrifice flies, and Kazuma Okamoto homered to help the Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Monday night. (Associated Press)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
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Scruggs explains what makes Meredith one of the top defensive back prospects in the country, why Texas prioritized him so heavily, and how beating Texas A&M for his commitment adds even more meaning to the win.
The tallest recruit in the Kemah Police Department is Jordan Wilmore, a 24‑year‑old cadet standing 7 feet 3 inches tall. Wilmore’s unusual height has made him a local talking point, with Chief Raymond Garivey Jr. noting that in his 34 years, he’s never seen someone as big as Jordan.
