We wish to condemn the recent textbook selection vote of the powerful Texas State Board of Education and earnestly request the decision be repealed. Students deserve textbooks that contain the best in sound scholarship, and are free of political and religious agendas.

On Friday, November 21, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to approve a new set of 89 history, social studies, and government textbooks and e-books to be used by over 5 million public school students in the state for at least the next ten years. The approved textbooks contain misinformation, inaccuracies, bigotry and propaganda. Many changes to the textbooks were made late and the public and the board itself had insufficient time to review (several board members proposed the vote be delayed).  Due to the economics of textbook publishing, Texas has incredible influence over what textbooks children will use in other states. The textbooks potentially used by millions upon millions of school children all over the USA hinge on this vote by the SBOE.

This is the first time the SBOE has made textbook selections since Texas adopted new curriculum standards in 2010 that include calling for books that overtly support Christian themes. All of the textbooks, even before the latest changes, had already been criticized by academic experts for misrepresenting facts about the founding of the United States, overt support of Christianity over all other religions, and unfair treatment of Muslims.

On the day of the vote the Texas Freedom Network’s President said "What we saw today shows very clearly that the process the State Board of Education uses to adopt textbooks is a sham.”  One SBOE member said “I think it’s a disservice to students when we present them with textbooks that have such a particular bent. They need to see both sides of the issues so they can draw their own conclusions based on the best information we can give them. We have shortchanged our students.”

It is imperative we send a loud message to the SBOE that we strongly disapprove of their actions, to ask SBOE to repeal this decision and to allow the public and academic communities more time to investigate the recent changes made. Students everywhere deserve better.