During the Texas State Board of Education‘s revision of social studies curriculum standards in 2009-10, David Barton insisted that the board delete labor and civil rights icon César Chávez from a section on citizenship in the Grade 5 standards: “(H)e certainly lacks the stature, impact, and overall contributions of so many others; and his open […]
Textbook Censorship
Challenger Outspending Religious-Righter Bradley in Texas SBOE Race
New campaign finance reports show that one of the most prominent members of the Texas State Board of Education‘s far-right faction is being heavily outspent in his bid for re-election to the board seat he has held since 1996. District 7 incumbent David Bradley, R-Beaumont Buna, reported spending just under $15,000 in the period from […]
Cynthia Dunbar: Legislators Can’t Make Laws ‘Contrary to What God Has Said’
Former Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) member Cynthia Dunbar still seems determined to destroy the most important protection for religious freedom in America: the First Amendment. As a member of the Texas SBOE in 2010, Dunbar lead successful opposition to requiring that public school students in social studies classrooms learn how the First Amendment […]
The Texas Connection to a Minnesota Extremist and Potential Education Disaster
Allen Quist, the Minnesota extremist Don McLeroy — then chairman of the Texas State Board of Education — tried to appoint as an “expert” adviser during the revision of social studies curriculum standards in 2009, is back in the news. Quist’s appointment three years ago seemed almost a done deal until the Texas Freedom Network […]
Texas Ed Board Candidate Advocates Teaching Creationism in Science Classrooms
One of the Republican candidates for the Texas State Board of Education District 15 seat, Marty Rowley of Amarillo, is offering one of his clearest arguments for teaching “intelligent design”/creationism in science classrooms. Rowley talked to the Amarillo Globe-News for a story about next year’s scheduled adoption of science textbooks by the state board: “Evolutionists […]