Your November 2024 SBOE Rundown On Nov. 22, 2024, the State Board of Education (SBOE) met to take its final vote on whether to approve Bluebonnet Learning, the state’s controversial, Bible-infused elementary school reading curriculum. Leading up to the vote, our community responded strongly against the curriculum. More than 12,000 concerned Texans sent emails to […]
Religious Freedom
The Texas Freedom Network supports the constitutional guarantee of the separation of church and state, which protects the right of all Americans to practice the faith of their choice, or none at all, free of government interference.
Unfortunately, efforts to knock down that wall are a constant in Texas. Politicians and extremists continually work to impose their views on others, especially around issues like abortion, access to contraception, and LGBTQIA+ equality. And in a distortion of the principle of religious freedom, far-right groups have supported legislative efforts to allow people to use religion as an excuse to ignore laws they might not like and even as a weapon to discriminate against others.
Resources
- Prayer in Public Schools: A Primer (2001 report)
- The Texas Faith-Based Initiative (2002 report)
- The National Day of Prayer Task Force: Turning a Day of Faith into a Rally for the Christian Right (2005 Report)
- A Report on The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (2005 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools (2006 report)
- Reading, Writing & Religion II (2013 report)
- Can This Class Be Saved? The ‘Hobby Lobby’ Public School Bible Curriculum (2014 report)
- Turning Texas Public Schools into Sunday Schools? A Review of the State’s Proposed K-5 Reading Curriculum (2024 report) | Executive Summary
Public Schools ≠ Sunday Schools! Your September 2024 SBOE Rundown
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the State Board of Education (SBOE) heard public testimony on the state’s new, Bible-infused elementary school reading curriculum. An overwhelming majority of the 100+ parents, grandparents, educators, and advocates who testified showed strong opposition, urging the board to reject the materials. […]
New Texas Freedom Network Report Exposes How Proposed Texas Reading Curriculum Crosses The Line From Religious Literacy To Proselytizing
Texas Freedom Network Education Fund has launched a report examining a Texas Bible-infused curriculum for K-5 students. […]
A Disturbing Vision of the Religious Right on Display at the Texas GOP Convention
The Texas GOP held its biennial convention in San Antonio at the end of May, leaving Texans with a chilling demonstration of the growing embrace of Christian nationalism and voter suppression tactics within the Republican Party of Texas. As reported by The Texas Tribune, the convention was consumed by delegates’ efforts to further infuse their […]
This National Day of Prayer, Protect the Religious Freedom of All Texans
Together, our country celebrates May 2 as the National Day of Prayer, a time when many folks across faiths come together to pray. However, it’s also a vital reminder that true religious freedom means the freedom of conscience to choose one’s own beliefs—or no religious beliefs at all. For too long in Texas, religious liberty […]
