A discussion on the inclusion of evolution in textbooks sparked a disagreement between Republicans in the Texas State Board of Education with the board's chair issuing concerns over the books being "unconstitutional."
The discussion over different textbooks in Texas comes as other states and Republican officials have sought to ban specific books in schools, mainly for aspects relating to LGBTQ+ topics. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis previously signed legislation banning books for children in school that discussed explicit material.
"In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards," DeSantis said in March.
On Tuesday, members of the Texas State Board of Education met to discuss numerous textbooks for schools in the state with Republican members voting preliminary to reject some books that discussed evolution and climate change, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
During the meeting, Republican board member Evelyn Brooks expressed concerns over a textbook for middle schools in the state and how it taught the theory of evolution, compared to theories of creationism.
"We are looking for what evidence is being used to support the theories and if this theory is going to be taught as a fact, that is my issue," Brooks said during the meeting, according to the newspaper.
"It's one thing to teach it as a theory in comparison with other theories in the origin of life...Children should be able to make up their own opinion, form their own opinion on both theories," Brooks said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Newsweek reached out to the Texas Education Agency via email for comment.
However, Republican Board Chair Keven Ellis interrupted, saying that the state's current standards related to science teachings in school were created by a former chair and warned that attempting to push the standards further could be "unconstitutional."
"I do believe there is a boundary we could go past on that would get us close to being unconstitutional," Ellis said, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Newsweek reached out to the Texans for the Right to Read, a coalition that claims to "educate the public and oppose any current or future legislation, regulations, or executive orders that infringe upon First Amendment rights and intellectual freedom" via email for comment.
Earlier this month, Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian sent a letter to the state's education agency expressing concerns that textbooks "could promote a radical environmentalist agenda that would be a detriment to our students, state, and nation."
"As the State Board of Education (SBOE) is determining textbooks for Texas schools, I'd encourage the board to choose books that promote the importance of fossil fuels for energy production and reject books that promote a 'green energy' and net zero agenda," the letter said.
Update: 11/15/23, 4:04 p.m. EST. This story has been updated to reflect that the comments were made by members of the Texas State Board of Education.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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