(Texas Scorecard) – A new poll by the Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests that Texans support instructional materials in school that include historical religious stories as part of a high-quality curriculum.
According to TPPF’s press release on Thursday, the poll also shows that many voters believe religious texts, such as the Bible and other primary sources, can help students better understand Western civilization.
The survey polled 801 registered Texas voters from July 23-25, 2024, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent. The sample of voters included 36 percent Republicans, 31 percent Independents, and 27 percent Democrats.
The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1605 during its last session, requiring the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop instructional materials to support teachers and students.
TPPF states that the draft curriculum published in May for K-5 reading and language arts contains “very few religious references” from “the Bible and a variety of other religious texts and traditions” to help “explain specific topics and themes.”
In a unit called “Serving Our Neighbors,” TEA’s kindergarten curriculum discusses the Golden Rule and the story of the Good Samaritan.
According to the TPPF poll, 64 percent of respondents support including “historical religious stories” in the state curriculum, while 33 percent oppose the idea.
Additionally, 75 percent of black and 59 percent of Hispanic respondents approved of adding the stories.
The survey results also revealed that 58 percent of respondents agreed that “knowledge of religious stories from different faiths can provide students with a greater understanding of the development of Western culture, art, and history.”
In comparison, 25 percent of those polled agreed that “providing passages from the Bible in state schools has the potential for religious indoctrination.”
In June, Lt Gov. Dan Patrick condemned Speaker Dade Phelan for blocking legislation requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a measure many Texans supported.
“Democrats opposed prayer, and the Ten Commandments in our schools, and Dade made sure those bills didn’t pass,” Patrick said in a post on X.
Patrick added that the speaker “killed Senate Bill 1396 by Sen. Middleton, which would have allowed school boards to vote to put prayer back in public schools. Parents would have had the right to give their child consent to participate. The bill was sent to the House in April, with a month left to pass it. It never got a hearing, thanks to Dade Phelan.”
