2.5.25
"Action Needed from Parents Who Care About What Children Learn"
By Donna Garner
COMMENTS BY DONNA GARNER: Now is the time for parents and concerned citizens to take positive action.
Since Obama's Common Core came flooding into K-16 schools all across America in 2013, the worried public has been forced to watch our nation's school children be thoroughly indoctrinated into the WOKE/LGBTQ/CRT/DEI mindset.
Fact-based, objective learning has almost completely been replaced by subjective opinions, emotions, and feelings.
As the indoctrination has progressed since 2013, students have moved from TOLERANCE to ACCEPTANCE to ADVOCACY to MILITANCY.
This must be stopped, and here is what the public should do:
Now Texas is offering not just to Texas schools but to all schools throughout the country FREE curriculum -- Open Resource Materials for K-5 Language Arts called “Bluebonnet Learning.”
Any group committed to education is permitted to utilize Open Resource Materials free of charge.
Open Resources means the materials are not copyrighted.
This Bluebonnet Learning K-5 LA curriculum is traditional -- the classical model --and provides students with a broad liberal arts curriculum.
Students will once again have a hard copy that they can hold in their hands -- no more spending hours and hours staring at a computer screen.
They will learn and write their responses on a printed copy -- not on a computer keyboard.
THE PUBLIC MUST MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD
To get school districts to adopt this "free" curriculum, it is going to take the parents and the public to do their part to advocate for Bluebonnet Learning K - 5 Language Arts. They will need to express their strong desires to their local school boards and school administrators.
Many school districts in Texas have already contacted the Texas Education Agency staff to ask for help in bringing the "free" curriculum into their districts starting in the 2025-26 school year.
Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath gave his presentation to the elected members of the Texas State Board of Education on 1.29.25. In it he gave the SBOE an up-to-date report on many issues, including Bluebonnet Learning.
https://www.adminmonitor.com/tx/tea
OPEN RESOURCE BLUEBONNET LEARNING PUBLISHED BY TEA
A question was asked by an SBOE member of Comm. Morath about what kind of feedback the TEA (Texas Education Agency) has had on reactions to the Open Resource Materials for K-5 Language Arts called “Bluebonnet Learning.”
TEA BLUEBONNET LEARNING WEBSITE: https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/bluebonnet-learning
Comm. Morath said that the SBOE had recently approved Open Resources Bluebonnet Learning at its last meeting on Nov. 2024.
Since then, Comm. Morath explained that samples and copies of Bluebonnet Learning are being printed (free to the districts) and distributed to those school districts that have indicated an interest to the TEA.
(Other education entities outside of Texas public schools (e.g., homeschoolers, private schools, out-of-state schools, etc.) would need to pay to have the materials printed for their students.)
BIBLE REFERENCES
Morath indicated that the people with the most concerns about the "Bible" references in Bluebonnet Learning K-5 are those who have NOT read the curriculum for themselves.
++ The curriculum for public perusal can be accessed online at: https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/bluebonnet-learning
The Commissioner said that those people who have taken the time to read the curriculum have stated that they are convinced it will help to provide students with a broad, liberal arts education.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPEN RESOURCES BLUEBONNET CURRICULUM
12.3.24 -- “Students To Learn Again with Printed Curriculum – Not by Spending Hours on Computers” -- By Donna Garner -- https://conta.cc/3D0zkeU
Excerpts from this article:
The purpose of this new curriculum is to bring back the traditional, classical model of instruction used by the “founders.”
Bluebonnet Learning is NOT computerized for students but is in hard copy which will cause students to write again instead of their spending hours on the computer.
Parents can still see digitized versions online so that they can make sure all curriculum is appropriate.
This new curriculum is designed for print – not techie devices.
Students will have their own copies and will be writing (cursive or printing) once more instead of having their eyes glued to a computer page and struggling to type their answers.
The K-5 Bluebonnet Learning Curriculum is filled with all sorts of fascinating literary references, many of which are taken from the Bible and the Western world.
The selections from the Bible are meant to build character in children; and the literary references will equip them to understand fully those pieces of art, history, and literary allusions that saturate our culture.
No longer will students feel “shut out” when they read some famous quote or saying: They will understand the context surrounding the quote which will help them become much more literate and truly well-educated.
The public can see every bit of the curriculum online and can also read along with their children who will have their own printed materials.
As an incentive, Texas public schools will be given $60 per student if the districts choose to utilize the OER [Open Education Resources - not copyrighted] for K-5 Language Arts; therefore, the printed materials are basically free.
Texas reserves the right to make any future changes, and the elected members of the SBOE by majority vote will have to approve of all changes first.
It is a “win, win” for all.
‘WOKISM’ BE GONE
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2.1.25 -- Excerpts from Texas Tribune article by Jaden Edison -- https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2025/02/01/texas-schools-warned-about-legal-issues-if-they-adopt-religion-studies/78092633007/?tbref=hp
…a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency said:
"Public schools may not provide religious instruction, and there is no religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning.
Bluebonnet Learning is comprised of instructional materials that have a broad base of topics including history, literature, the arts and culture which, when contextually relevant, can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths…
The materials include content from or about varied religious source materials for the literary and historical value of the content and its connection to creating a strong background of knowledge for students.”
During an SBOE meeting last year, Austin Kinghorn (Texas' Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy) stated that he sees teaching about religion and the Bible as “absolutely permissible” under the Constitution "so long as it's done in an objective, academic manner and it does not amount to proselytization."
Texas schools that choose to adopt the materials this year could begin using them for free at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
The Bluebonnet reading and language arts lessons would also help students in their other subjects such as history and social studies.
Educators and those who advocate for the Bluebonnet curriculum say that references to Christianity will help students to understand our country's history and the importance that the Bible has played across the entire world.
Bluebonnet Learning also covers a broad range of faiths but only makes references to religion when appropriate.
The writers of Bluebonnet have given students an in-depth understanding of the abolition of slavery, Juneteenth and the Civil Rights Movement, and emphasizes the contributions of Black Texans.
WHERE VARIOUS TEXAS SCHOOLS STAND CURRENTLY
South San Antonio ISD has voted to adopt Bluebonnet Learning. (Parents and the public in that district need to express their appreciation to the school board members and to the school administrators for their wise decision.)
Conroe ISD is in the process of considering its adoption. (People in that school district need to contact all school board members and administrators and ask them to vote for Bluebonnet Learning K-5 English.)
Denton ISD has stated that they do not plan even to consider using Bluebonnet Learning. (People in that district immediately need to voice their disapproval over such a foolish decision. Voters there need to contact their elected school board members and also Denton school administrators.)
MORE INFORMATION
11.22.24 -- "Victory -- TX SBOE Votes 8 to 7 for Adoption of Healthy, Classical Curriculum" -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/11-22-24-victory-tx-sboe-votes-8-to-7-for-adoption-of-healthy-classical-curriculum-by-donna-garner/
11.22.24 -- “Texas Leads Counterrevolution in Education” -- By Dr. Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. -- https://donnagarner.org/11-22-24-texas-leads-counterrevolution-in-education-by-dr-carole-hornsby-haynes-ph-d/
LINKS TO GAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEA AND SBOE
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY WEBSITE -- https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea
TEA BLUEBONNET LEARNING WEBSITE -- https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/bluebonnet-learning
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY'S GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS -- https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/glossary-of-acronyms
ACADEMICS: https://tea.texas.gov/academics
TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION WEBSITE: https://sboe.texas.gov/
SBOE LIVE AND ARCHIVED MEETINGS: http://www.adminmonitor.com/tx/tea