Fox News pumps up the 'Texas textbook war'

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VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__oC8...layer_embedded


Fox News pumps up the 'Texas textbook war'

By Ciara O'Rourke
Published on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 6:12 p.m.


After spending most of Wednesday gathering public comment, the Texas State Board of Education began hashing out how history, government and economics are taught in Texas public schools.

The board's efforts to revise social studies curriculum standards had drawn national attention, from the Fox News Channel in particular. On Wednesday morning's broadcast of Fox & Friends, co-anchor Gretchen Carlson sounded scandalized by what the network dubbed the "Texas Textbook Wars."

"Stage set for a bitter debate — the Texas Board of Education begins hearings today on proposed changes to textbooks that could change what students across the country learn," she said. "About history!"

Addressing Jason Moore, a Texas parent who planned to speak at Wednesday's hearing, Carlson said: "So, one of the proposed changes, Jason, is actually to start history class in the year 1877, which would be a big problem for a lot of people, would it not? And eliminate references to certain holidays, founding fathers, the Constitution! I mean, no surprise that Christmas, they want to get rid of that because they've been doing that for the last couple of years, but c'mon, the Constitution?"

Come again — we the people will not study the Constitution in school? Christmas nearly kaput? PolitiFact Texas explored the claims and filed this report.