The New York Times article Texas School Board Set to Vote Textbook Revisions published May 20th, talks about the Texas school board's upcoming vote on changes to textbook requirements, and the contraversy surrounding the decision. The Texas board of education has proposed that History books should place more emphasis on capitolist enterprise, the millitary, and Christianity. Many people oppose the proposed changes because they feel that the board of education is taking advangage of its power to teach conservative values to children. Protest groups also argue that a textbook emphasis on christianity is a violation of the separation that is supposed to exist between church and state. The issue has gained national attention because due to Texas' large population, the state has a disproportionately large influence on textbook companies, meaning that the decisions of the Texas board of education carry their influence far beyond the borders of Texas. An emphasis on christianity in history books could potentialy conflict with the establishment clause of the first ammendment, and the issue as a whole is certainly a source of tension between the two parties. Personaly we believe that textbooks should be religiously and politically neutral, and we do not support the use of textbooks as a guise to influence young minds in favor of any religous or political veiwpoint.

Posted by Tfavaron and EMcKee