Board of Education nixes Clinton, Keller from curriculum
AUSTIN — History curriculum in Texas remembers the Alamo but soon could forget Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller.
As part of an effort to “streamline” the social studies curriculum in Texas, the State Board of Education voted Friday to change what students in every grade are required to learn in the classroom. They voted to remove several historical figures, including Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The board also voted to add back into the curriculum a reference to the “heroism” of the defenders of the Alamo, which had been recommended for elimination, as well as Moses’ influence on the writing of the founding documents, multiple references to “Judeo-Christian” values and a requirement that students explain how the “Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict” in the Middle East.
The vote Friday was preliminary. The board, which is elected to represent geographic areas, will take a final vote on these curriculum changes in November and can make further amendments before then.
Barbara Cargill, a Republican from Houston and former board chairwoman, said “the recommendation to eliminate Helen Keller and Hillary Clinton was made by (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) work groups. However, the board did vote to agree with the work groups’ recommendations.”