Texas board again rejects Mexican-American studies textbook

AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Texas Board of Education for the second year has rejected a Mexican-American studies textbook, with members arguing this time the book wasn't expansive enough.

Wednesday's vote was preliminary and a formal decision will come later, but there was no indication the board's decision will change.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that one board member, Ruben Cortez, argued the panel should have given authors more time to offer textbooks after rejecting the first book last year.

The board spurned that first book after experts said it was rife with factual errors and anti-Hispanic bias. The textbook, titled "Mexican American Heritage," described Mexican-Americans as people who "adopted a revolutionary narrative that opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society." It also linked Mexican-Americans to undocumented immigrants, saying illegal immigration has "caused a number of economic and security problems" in the U.S. that include "poverty, drugs, crime, non-assimilation, and exploitation."

Textbooks adopted by the TEA become part of statewide-recommended instructional materials, but independent school districts aren't required to include the books in their curriculum.

Three years ago, the Republican-controlled board refused to create a full Mexican-American studies course for the state. Instead, it asked publishers to submit proposed ethnic studies textbooks that high schools could use to create their own courses.