SAN ANTONIO – Students at a San Antonio school district will be taught a new curriculum in the 2025-2026 school year.
The South San Antonio Independent School District board approved the purchase of the "Bluebonnet Learning" curriculum on Monday at a district meeting.
The decision comes after the Texas Education Agency (TEA) took over the South San Antonio ISD board of trustees and appointed Dr. Saul Hinojosa as the new superintendent.
Board members also approved Hinojosa’s contract during the March 17 meeting.
What is Bluebonnet Learning?
According to the TEA, Bluebonnet Learning consists of “state-developed instructional materials that provide teachers with the tools to foster student success.”
The State Board of Education passed the instructional materials in November 2024.
The curriculum was designed with a cross-disciplinary approach that uses reading and language arts lessons to advance or cement concepts in other disciplines, such as history and social studies.
Critics, which included religious studies scholars, say the curriculum’s lessons allude to Christianity more than any other religion, which they say could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.
The TEA says Bluebonnet Learning “can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths.”
However, “there is no religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning,” according to the TEA.
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How will South San ISD implement Bluebonnet Learning?
When KSAT spoke with Dr. Hinojosa Tuesday afternoon, he said the district will conduct an “audit” to decide how to implement the curriculum.
Hinojosa also said the district plans to form a 20-25-person committee of “stakeholders” to review the curriculum “line by line” and decide which materials to keep. The group will meet over the summer.
Hinojosa said if something is “inappropriate” or presents a religious point of view, the district would remove it from the curriculum.
A Texas law (TEC Sec. 28.002) requires that the curriculum includes “religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature.”
“While public schools may not provide religious instruction, guidance from the United States Department of Education (DOE) indicates that public schools may teach about religion and promote religious liberty and respect for the religious views of all,” the TEA says.
Bluebonnet Learning materials adhere to both state and federal standards, according to the TEA.
Hinojosa says Bluebonnet Learning is the “best path” to help South San ISD teachers and students pass the STAAR test.
“We want to make sure that our kids are getting the best instruction and that we have safeguards as well before the curriculum is introduced to our students,” Hinojosa said.
The Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
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