State education leaders plan to vote this week on a controversial public school curriculum, a move that has left some Houston-area families wondering if their children will soon be learning about Christianity in their classrooms.

The State Board of Education is expected to decide Friday on final approval of Bluebonnet Learning, an optional curriculum that includes lessons centered around religion. If approved, school districts across Texas could use Bluebonnet Learning’s curriculum to teach students in grades kindergarten through 5 and receive state funding for employing the curriculum.

Bluebonnet Learning is an updated and rebranded version of Open Education Resources, a collection of instructional materials assembled by the Texas Education Agency and made available to school districts for free. The most high-profile change to the curriculum would include lessons on various religions, with the largest emphasis on Christianity.

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath has said religious components only make a small but appropriate portion of the curriculum. Critics, however, say the religious curriculum violates the separation of church and state, and focuses too much on Christianity, among other complaints.

It is not immediately clear whether any Houston-area districts have used Open Education Resources in the past. Five large districts — Cy-Fair, Conroe, Fort Bend and Klein ISDs and Lamar CISD — confirmed to the Houston Landing that they haven’t used Open Education Resources. Several other districts didn’t respond to a request for comment sent Wednesday.

Here is what we know about Bluebonnet Learning and how it might impact Houston-area students.

What is Bluebonnet Learning?

Bluebonnet Learning is a set of learning materials, such as textbooks and teacher guides, that help educators teach math, reading and language arts to students. The materials were created to fully align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which are the state-approved standards for what students should know and be able to do in each subject and at each grade level.

To see the Bluebonnet Learning materials, click here.

Each school district uses a set of learning materials, or curriculum, to educate students. Other curriculums commonly used in school districts include Amplify, Eureka and Benchmark. Some districts also develop their own curriculums. 

How much of the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum includes religious-themed lessons?

TEA officials say there is no explicit religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning, though religious topics from various faiths are used as part of lessons on other subjects.

For example, in the kindergarten curriculum, religion is referenced in a teacher guide when discussing how students should treat their neighbors. The unit begins with a story from the New Testament about the Good Samaritan and discusses the “Golden Rule,” which both refer to how people should treat others the way they want to be treated, according to the guide. 

The unit mentions how similar versions of the Golden Rule exist in other religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, but uses the Christian Bible to show what it means in greater detail.

In a teacher guide packet for third grade, the curriculum refers to the Christian faith when discussing Colonial America, mentioning the first Thanksgiving and a speech from Plymouth Colony Gov. William Bradford in which he reads a passage from the Bible.

TEA officials haven’t detailed the exact percentage of the curriculum that features religious references. 

Can public schools teach religion?

Public schools in the U.S. cannot endorse a particular religion or provide religious instruction, but they can teach religion in the context of history and other relevant topics.

Under Texas law, school districts must teach “religious literature,” including the Old and New Testaments, and its “impact on history and literature.”

Do Houston-area school districts currently use the curriculum soon to be known as Bluebonnet Learning?

Ahead of the Friday vote, the Houston Landing contacted the region’s 10 largest school districts, plus Alief and Spring ISDs, to ask whether they have used Open Education Resources and plan to adopt Bluebonnet Learning.

Cy-Fair ISD, the region’s second-largest district, does not use Open Education Resources and “has not begun evaluating it or made any decisions about its future use,” said Leslie Francis, assistant superintendent for communication and community relations, in an email.

Fort Bend ISD, the region’s fourth-largest district, also does not use Open Education Resources and is “focused on the resources that we have,” Director of Strategic Communications Sherry Williams said in an email.

Conroe ISD, the Houston area’s fifth-largest district, does not employ Open Education Resources, Executive Director of Communications Sarah Blakelock said in an email. The district is waiting for the State Board of Education’s approval of Bluebonnet Learning and other curriculums, and “consideration will be given to these state-approved resources.”  

Klein ISD, the region’s seventh-largest district, also does not use Open Education Resources in its schools, Executive Director of Communications Justin Elbert said. Elbert did not respond to questions about whether the district will consider using Bluebonnet Learning in the future.

Lamar CISD Chief Communications Officer Sonya Cole-Hamilton said the district doesn’t use the curriculum and “we do not have plans to re-evaluate our decision at this time.”

The other seven districts — Aldine, Alief, Houston, Humble, Katy, Pasadena and Spring ISDs — did not respond to a request for comment. Houston ISD, the region’s largest district, has increasingly adopted the Amplify reading and Eureka math curriculums under second-year Superintendent Mike Miles.

The Landing will update this list as school districts provide comments on their curriculums.

Who oversaw the creation of Bluebonnet Learning?

A 10-member advisory board, created as part of a 2023 state law related to curriculums, guided the creation of Bluebonnet Learning. The panel included prominent Republicans, including former State Board of Education chair Donna Bahorich and former U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson; a few members with leadership roles in Christian organizations; and Democratic former state legislator Eddie Lucio Jr.

TEA officials said another 300 people reviewed Bluebonnet Learning during its development, including paid contractors and subcontractors who contributed to drafting and editing the materials. 

Can the state mandate schools use Bluebonnet Learning?

No, the state cannot require districts to use the materials under Texas law. School districts will have the option to use Bluebonnet Learning and decide what materials to use, if it’s approved. 

If a district decides to use Bluebonnet Learning, the board of trustees must vote to approve the instructional materials. 

Do school districts get extra money if they use Bluebonnet Learning?

If state officials approve Bluebonnet Learning as “High-Quality Instructional Materials” on Friday, then yes. 

Districts will receive $40 per student for using any curriculum classified as High-Quality Instructional Materials by the State Board of Education, including Bluebonnet Learning and a few dozen other commonly used curriculums under consideration Friday.

Districts also will get $20 per student specifically for using Bluebonnet Learning. State officials said the cost will cover printing textbooks and materials. Districts do not get similar funding to cover those costs for buying other curriculums.

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