Austin finished the argument Friday. Texas teenagers have to live with it in 2030.
The State Board of Education finalized a rewrite of high-school history, government, and geography. The Republican majority adopted language that has students learn “radical Islam” motivated 9/11, instead of naming al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. It tells them to see early Islam through the Prophet Muhammad’s “brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes,” slavery, and “female captives as harem slaves.”
Muslim Texans and at least three appointed experts said that does not hold up. Andrea Hutchison, a Prosper ISD curriculum coordinator, said it fails “close historical scrutiny.” UT-Austin philosopher Robert Koons said most nonreligious scholars find the sources “not very reliable.” The board voted not to drop the word “brutal.” It did not bring back a deleted line on Muslim work in algebra and astronomy.
Habiiba Quresh, 15: “I feel attacked, as if my religion doesn’t belong.”
What else is in the packet
K–8 changes and a mandatory list that includes Bible stories already passed in June. U.S. history now has students describe arguments against the “modern welfare state” that grew from Great Society programs. MLK’s “I Have a Dream” is tied to “biblical imagery” and the Declaration. Slavery is an institution that “existed in many societies,” not a race-based American system. Democrat Marisa B. Pérez-Díaz of San Antonio called that a disservice.
The sixth-grade world cultures course is gone. Chair Aaron Kinsey said the room worked “democratically” and the framework is more balanced than the noise. CAIR-Texas: classrooms where “prejudice is taught as fact.”
Gov. Greg Abbott this week replaced Houston Democrat Staci Childs with Republican Tammie Nielsen, making the board 11–4 for the vote. Schools phase the high-school changes in during 2030–31.
What this means for you
If you have a kid in Texas public school, this is the official story of the world they will be tested on. If you buy textbooks in another state, watch the market. Texas still moves the printer.
Bottom line: the board chose a version of Islam and a version of America. Students already said the first one feels like an attack. The second one starts in 2030.
GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.
