Your February 2026 SBOE Rundown
This week’s sprung-up-out-of-nowhere special State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting is over. The politicization of our classrooms, on the other hand? Not so much.
Wednesday’s public hearing and discussion on the social studies curriculum standards exposed the far right’s approach to teaching millions of Texas public school students: We’ll tell you what to think. Don’t ask any questions.
“Who does all this rushing serve?”
Despite having only a very small window to register to testify, our Teach the Truth Coalition succeeded in spreading the word and getting dozens of Texans to turn out as the board considered early drafts of the new standards. Testifiers called out the unnecessarily rushed process, the need for transparency and accuracy, and the importance of prioritizing students and a well-rounded education over personal ideology. One speaker put it bluntly when they asked, “Who does all this rushing serve? It doesn’t serve Texas school districts.”
A number of Republican state board members shockingly attacked testifiers who called for the standards to teach important skills like asking questions and thinking critically about the content in their classes. Those board members want the new standards to essentially focus on having students memorize a laundry list of information that aligns with their political views and preferred version of history. That version focuses overwhelmingly on what they see as Western civilization and Christian foundations of America, while deemphasizing different perspectives and the rest of the world.
Common-sense Testifiers > Ideologically-biased Advisors
The early drafts for all K-12 social studies classes had been largely shaped by a panel of “content advisors” appointed by state board members. Those advisors include a number of right-wing ideologues. David Barton, for example, has argued that the separation of church and state is a myth and that the United States was founded on Christian biblical principles. Another advisor, David Randall, heads an organization pushing a set of right-wing social studies standards in states across the country.
Testifiers demanded better for students, noting flaws in how the standards cover many important topics, such as the New Deal, the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement. They expressed concerns that the standards also neglected coverage of the experiences and contributions of the many different peoples who have shaped our nation. And they urged the board to ensure the standards help students build critical thinking skills to analyze and understand what they are being taught.
Pickren, Hall, Islamophobia, and Attacks on TFN… We’ve Seen it All Before
Some state board members responded like the right-wing culture warriors they are – focused more on nasty politics, blatant Islamophobia, and pushing agendas than on helping public schools teach the truth.
Board member Brandon Hall, R-Aledo, a Christian youth minister, accused a Muslim testifier of being a terrorist and viciously insulted her religious faith. Board member Julie Pickren, R-Pearland (who attended the January 6 insurrection as a Trump supporter in 2021), directly attacked the Texas Freedom Network for our call to slow the revision process and allow more input from teachers, parents, and other Texans. It wasn’t the first time, and as long as we continue demanding transparency and accountability, it likely won’t be the last.
Pickren and Hall didn’t stop there. They even objected to a section in the draft standards that noted the influence of Islamic architectural styles on the Alamo. After a conservative scholar had to point out that these architectural styles were common in what had been Moorish Spain (and thus in Spanish colonies like Texas), the board members still insisted that Texans would be outraged by what they seemed to think was an attempt to “Islamify” the Alamo.
More Bluebonnet Bedlam
The SBOE also voted 9-6 to approve roughly 4,200 corrections and changes to Bluebonnet Learning, the controversial, Bible story-infused reading curriculum that was initially approved by the Republican majority in 2024. Who’ll have to front that cost? You guessed it: taxpayers.
Democratic SBOE member Tiffany Clark put it best: “If this is a product [schools] have been using because they believe it was a high-quality instructional material, again, we have failed our students this school year.”
What’s Next
Despite many calls to slow down the social studies revision process, board members made no changes to the rushed schedule to approve the new standards by the end of June.
Texans will have another opportunity to testify about their concerns when the board formally considers updated drafts in April. This fight isn’t over, and neither is our commitment to protecting honest, inclusive public education. Sign up for SBOE Watch alerts below. We’ll keep you updated and informed!
