Action Alert: Save ‘In God We Trust’ for TX Schools and Stop ‘Woke’ Takeover

The elected Texas State Board of Education will meet the week of August 30 – September 2, to discuss the current state of the revision of the Social Studies drafts for K-12 students in Texas Public schools. The SBOE was scheduled to take their first vote next week, but due to the unsatisfactory drafts and major concerns over the controversial content of the standards, there will not be a vote next week. Instead, members will have a discussion on the status of the standards.

The unelected work group members convened in Austin on August 11-13 to address the concerns the public and SBOE members talked about in the last meeting. However, their updated draft of the standards has yet to be posted by the Texas Education Agency! The time to ask the board to delay the reconsideration of the standards is NOW!

The recent and available version of the standards has several problems that we have addressed in emails and testimony to the board.

• Many references to religion have been removed including the national motto “In God We Trust” and Moses.
• On the other hand, LGBT references are still in, and many added. Thankfully, the board was able to stop the CRT laden ethnic studies courses from workgroup E.

However, we must slow down the board from rushing to adopt these insufficient and controversial standards. We must also make sure the SBOE spends time making sure that Texas History is sufficiently taught to Texas public school students.

There have been no promises made that any of the problems that we addressed at the August 1 board meeting will be addressed by the workgroups. The SBOE needs to know that our concerns still remain. We need you to:

1. Come to Austin and testify against some of the radical proposals and encourage the board to teach well rounded history to our K-12 students. Ask the board to slow down the process and continue to delay the vote so that the SBOE can produce satisfactory drafts.

2. Email and call your elected SBOE member. Each board member will be able to recommend changes to the Social Studies drafts at this meeting so let your member know what you would like to see changed. Be on the lookout for a new draft by the most recent work group.

Public testimony on the Social Studies standards will occur Tuesday, August 30. You can register to testify, by clicking here. Registration for speaking at the meeting begins at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 25, and closes Friday August 26 at 5 p.m. You can email the entire SBOE by sending an email to: [email protected]. You can find your SBOE member here.

Below you can find specific concerns with the current draft of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) with their subject and page numbers.

High School TEKS, Workgroup C July 2022 Document

• U.S History p. 2 Deleted TEK with “In God We Trust” 1 (C) explain the meaning and historical significance of the mottos “E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust”
• U.S History p. 20 TEK 17 (G) will have kids learn about abortion in context of “analyze the debate between liberalism and conservatism including the diverse perspectives of … abortion”
• U.S History 15 (B) p. 18 Compare roles, goals, and accomplishments of organizations ins supporting social movements … GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
• World Geography p. 32 TEK 7 (B) Gender Inequality Index
• World Geography p. 35 -> TEK 10 (A) Ethnic Sovereignty
• U.S Government -> TEK 1 (B) -> changed for the better to add Judeo Christian legal tradition and the Ten Commandments, but struck biblical law
• U.S. Government p. 81 13 (A) -> deleting TEK on citizenship and instead talk about active listening
• U.S Government p. 91 13 (B) -> struck Establishment clause
• U.S. Government p. 96 16 K -> struck Civil Rights Act of 1964 and put in TEKS guide
• U.S. Government p. 99 struck standard with Moses, William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu
• U.S Government p. 100 struck standard with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, and Ronald Reagan
• U.S. Government p. 100 struck standard where learn the importance of a written Constitution
• U.S. Government p. 100 struck standard that serves the purpose set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution
• U.S Government p. 101 struck standard that talks about limited government, separation of powers
• U.S. Government p. 102 struck standard about the Constitution limiting the power of national and state governments
• U.S. Government p. 102 struck standard on how good citizenship sometimes requires sacrifice
• Sociology p. 113 added TEK 5(H) “define sex, gender, and sexual orientation and differentiate among their distinguishing characteristics”
• Sociology p. 116 struck TEK 8 (A) “identify the stages of adult development and compare the difference between male and female development”
• Sociology p. 117 struck TEKS 13 A-D
• Social institutions. The student identifies the basic social institution of the family and explains its influences on society. The student is expected to:
• Define the functions and rituals of the family and how the family has changes over time
• Define family systems and patterns
• Analyze the trends in American society regarding family life and the needs that the institution of family satisfies and
• Analyze ways in which family life can be disrupted
• Sociology p. 118 struck TEK 15 (D) analyze the function … religion serves in society
• Sociology p. 118 struck TEK 15 (E) compare and contrast distinctive features of religion in U.S. with that of other countries
• Kindergarten- 8th Grade Standards Workgroup D Document
• Grade 4 p. 28 TEK 2 (B) add describe ideas central to Judaism including monotheism and Ten Commandments as moral and legal code (TEK does not include Christianity in discussing the Ten Commandments and monotheism)
• Grade 5 TEKS guide p. 44 Lack of definition for Crusades and pilgrims
• Grade 7 TEK 2 (A) p. 64 Locke and Montesquieu are mentioned but so is Haudenosaunee Confederacy as influence on writing of Constitution
• Grade 8 TEK 7 (C) p. 84 explain clash between Mexican Americans and immigrants with Texas Rangers -> TEKS guide says Texas Rangers were used as an instrument of oppression
• Grade 8 TEK 12 (G) p. 89 compare the goals of Pride … and explain how individuals identified with and participated in multiple movements

Additions to the TEKS that are good 

• Kindergarten p. 5 add TEK (M) add “define patriotism and identify the United States flag….
• Grade 4 p. 31 TEK 7 (A) talk about central ideas of Christianity
• TEK (B) & (C) also talk about Christianity
• Grade 6 TEK 6 (F) p. 57 First Great Awakening and religious freedom
• Grade 6 TEK 6 (K) p. 57 expand religious and political freedom
• Grade 6 TEK 4 (B) p. 55 explain the different religious motivations of English, French, and Spanish