Last night, members of Texas’ state education board debated the teachings of several science books that are scheduled to be put into use starting next year. The subject of debate? Creationism. In Texas, discussions about how the role of a creator should be included in school curriculum are nothing new. But because the textbooks that Texas chooses to use—and the revisions that publishers are willing to make to them—play a significant role in the selection of books that will be used in schools around the country, the recent debates have significant implications. Critics of the books in question also took issue with how the text approached topics like natural selection and climate change. At the debate, Thomas Ratliff, a Republican who is also vice chairman of the Board of Education, said, “I believe this process is being hijacked, this book is being held hostage to make political changes.” Ultimately, the board agreed to have a panel of outside experts review the books and will now wait to make a decision regarding their approval …
