Texas education officials are considering a change to the way slavery is taught to second-graders — replacing the word “slavery” with “involuntary displacement” in state standards.
The Texas Education Agency, which is responsible for setting curriculum and testing for students throughout the state, has multiple “task forces” that develop curriculum for each subject and grade.
When the agency floated the idea of using “involuntary transfer” at a recent State Board of Education meeting, board member Aycha Davis said she “doesn’t agree with it at all.” Davis shared a clip of the meeting on Facebook.
There is a viral post stating that the Texas Education Agency is trying to change the word “Slavery” to “Forced Removal” in the Texas History Standards. Unfortunately, there is some truth to this statement. The SBOE received the Social Studies Working Paper Work Group D that reviewed the elementary and middle school TEKS during our last meeting. The group suggested putting the travel of Africans to America in the 2nd grade, using the phrase “involuntary relocation.” I did not agree with this at all and addressed it with TEA Task forces have been directed to have further discussions on appropriate language and terminology and the SBOE will begin readings in the fall.
Posted by Aicha Davis on Thursday, June 30, 2022
“There is a viral post stating that the Texas Education Agency is trying to change the word ‘Slavery’ to ‘Forced Removal’ in the Texas History Standards,” she captioned the video. “Unfortunately, there is some truth to that statement.”
During the meeting, Davis asked about the proposed change. “I don’t know if that’s a fair representation of what we have to say about this trip,” Davis said during the meeting.
An agency member told Davis that the task force that came up with the language discussed “what would make sense for second graders,” while acknowledging that there are ideas that need to be addressed from kindergarten through eighth grade.
“They were looking at some trade books that were out there, and they were kind of talking about how you would explain to second graders that a lot of people got to this country in a lot of different ways and for a lot of different reasons — some of which were voluntary and some of which were not . . . I think the best way to deal with it is what they’re fighting,” the agency official said.
Davis said the task forces were directed to have further discussions about appropriate language and terminology.
In an email to CBS News, board member Pat Hardy said what was presented at the meeting was “an initial draft of 2nd grade social studies standards from a review committee that includes a section titled: ‘Enslaved peoples in America”.
“While the proposed standards clearly describe enslaved peoples in colonial times, the draft description of ‘forced relocation’ for African peoples who were sold into slavery does not paint a clear or complete picture,” Hardy said. “As a result, the SBOE voted unanimously to send the language back to be revised. This council is committed to truth, which includes accurate descriptions of historical events.”
“Our state’s curriculum will not downplay the role of slavery in American history.”
Still, the proposal went viral and many condemned it. Iro Omere, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Texas’ 4th District, called the proposal “disgraceful.”
“It is disgraceful that the Texas Education Agency would go so far as to change the way we teach children about our country’s history,” Omere said in a statement to CBS News. “Kids are taught that the civil war started because of a ‘conflict of states’ rights.’ Now to hear that the term “slavery” will be changed to “forced removal” is an insult to the generations of people forced to live in slavery and to the descendants who have suffered the impact of racism.
“We’ve gotten to the point where we have to hold the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education accountable for the willful miseducation of Texas children,” Omere said.
The controversial proposal comes after many Republican-led states, such as Texas, have passed or considered laws banning the discussion of “divisive topics” in schools. Some states have aimed to ban critical race theory. The theory, commonly taught at the college level, acknowledges the racial disparities that have persisted in US history and offers a framework for understanding how racism is reinforced in US law and culture. There is no evidence that critical race theory is taught in K-12 schools.
Under a new Texas law banning critical race theory in the classroom, teachers cannot discuss the idea that “one race or gender is inherently superior to another race or gender.” After the law was passed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked schools to review materials available to students that they might consider “inappropriate.”
State Board of Education Chairman Kevin Ellis assured Abbott in a recent letter that the board is reviewing the textbooks and that the Legislature has given the board “power to reject instructional materials that are not ‘grade-level appropriate’.”
The board has until the end of the year to complete its review of the social studies curriculum, Davis said.
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Caitlin O’Kane
Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering breaking stories for CBS News and its good news brand The Uplift.
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