AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas public schools will describe second-graders’ slavery as an “involuntary transfer” under new social studies standards proposed to the state board of education.
A group of nine educators presented the idea to the State Board of Education as part of Texas’ effort to develop a new social studies curriculum, according to the Texas Tribune. The once-a-decade process updates what children are learning in the state’s nearly 8,900 public schools.
The board is considering curriculum changes a year after Texas passed a law to remove topics from schools that make students “uncomfortable.”
Board member Aycha Davis, a Democrat who represents Dallas and Fort Worth, raised concerns during a June 15 meeting that the term was not a fair representation of the slave trade. The board sent the project back for revision, urging the study group to “carefully examine the language used to describe the events.”
“I can’t say what their intent was, but it’s not going to be acceptable,” Davis told The Texas Tribune on Thursday.
Part of the proposed draft standards, obtained by The Texas Tribune, says students should “compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and the forced removal of African people during colonial times.”
Texas’ public education system has become highly politicized in recent years, with lawmakers passing legislation to dictate how race and slavery should be taught in schools and conservative groups pouring large sums of money into school board races.
Texas drew attention to a similar situation in 2015 when a student noticed wording in a textbook that referred to slaves who were brought to America as “laborers.” The book’s publisher apologized and promised to increase the number of textbook reviewers.
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