Texas State Board of Education votes to delay social studies curriculum update after complaints

Some public speakers complained that the proposals diminish what they call American exceptionalism and could promote critical race theory, which many of the participants who actually worked on the proposals called misleading and misinformed.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas State Board of Education's preliminary vote was to delay most updates to social studies curriculum after complaints from conservative activists.

This would have been the first major overhaul of social studies taught in Texas public schools in over a decade.

The work groups, which were put together by the state, spent the past year coming up with recommendations to the curriculum.

That work basically goes out the window.

"Yesterday, we once again saw politics and culture wars dominate the work of the State Board of Education," said Carissa Lopez, with the Texas Freedom Network.

After mounting pressure from conservatives over proposed updates to the state’s social studies curriculum, the Texas State Board of Education on Tuesday voted to delay the revision until 2025.

"Let’s be clear, it was all politically motivated," said Aicha Davis, Texas State Board of Education member for District 13, which includes Dallas.

Davis was among a group of parents, educators, and community activists who held a news conference in the lobby of the Texas Education Agency in Austin Wednesday to denounce the move by the Board.

"I want them to learn about different cultures and different identities that had a hand in shaping our history," parent Marti Bier said.

The Board's decision followed hours of testimony earlier Tuesday.

"The overhaul seems unnecessary," one person said during testimony.

The Board agreed in a 7-2 preliminary vote to only make adjustments to comply with the state’s 2021 law targeting "critical race theory." Those include adding civics and literacy standards.

"Lies like CRT," said Olivia Molina, with the Texas State Teachers Association. "Which is not…it is not taught in our classrooms, are the weapons they are using."

"Schools are the new battleground for the culture wars, quite clearly," SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson said.

Wilson said people on the left and right are increasingly realizing that shaping school curriculum is a way to advance their social, political, and cultural agenda for the future, with students and educators bearing the consequences.

Texas State Board of Education's plan to update social studies curriculum derailed by political blowback

Board members were initially expected to take a final vote on the standards in November. That would give publishers enough time to update textbooks for the 2025-26 school year. But with all of the pushback, that timeline is in limbo.

"They're just trying to show up and learn or show up and teach. But of course, their ability to do that is contingent on the political mandates that will come down one way or the other," he said. "What's interesting about these debates is that both sides are convinced that they're just trying to teach kids the truth and the other side is getting politicized and trying to inject politics into it."

Board members still have time to change their mind.

A final vote on the issue will happen on Friday, although the odds are likely that nothing will change.