Board Decides to Keep Christmas In Textbooks

September 18, 2009

Author: Gary Scharrer

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6624521.html

Christmas will stay in Texas textbooks, State Board of Education members said Thursday while reviewing early recommendations for new social studies standards.

The board will not approve the new curriculum standards for public schools until next year, but wanted to assure constituents they will not accept a recommendation to yank Christmas.

“We have heard quite significant feedback from parents, from people who are very disturbed that we are not going to continue keeping Christmas in our standards. No one on this board intends to take out Christmas,” said Gail Lowe, of Lampasas, chair of the 15-member board.

Religious observances

The board met with consultants and educators appointed to develop new curriculum standards for textbooks covering history, government, sociology, economics and geography for the next decade.

The proposed standards suggest sixth-graders be expected to explain the significance of religious observances of major faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.