Texas delays vote on textbooks riddled with 'offensive' factual errors

Texas delays vote on textbooks riddled with 'offensive' factual errors
(Image credit: iStock)

The Texas Board of Education on Tuesday postponed a vote on whether to adopt new social studies textbooks because some publishers had yet to make requested changes to remove errors and alleged bias from the texts. Board members split five against five over whether to approve the books, with the nays saying they weren't comfortable voting until the books are finalized.

In September, a watchdog group that reviewed the proposed books found that some misrepresented the role Christianity played in world history, suggested segregated schools weren't so bad, and included "biased statements that inappropriately portray Islam and Muslims negatively." One book in particular contained "outdated — and possibly offensive — anthropological categories and racial terminology in describing African civilization."

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.