HOUSTON (CN) — A history textbook that describes Mexican-Americans as bent on the destruction of Western civilization has raised concerns about how the Texas State Board of Education solicits and vets books for public schools.
In response to demands in 2015 that Mexican-American studies be phased into the state's curriculum, the 15-member board voted to accept textbooks on the subject.
The first and only submission to the board on the topic, "Mexican American Heritage," has elicited a backlash from scholars, concerned about its origins and accuracy.
Texas is one of five states considered "minority-majority" with Hispanics making up the largest percentage of the state's minorities, and they are becoming increasingly outspoken about what's taught in the state's public schools.
The book describes Chicanos as people who "adopted a revolutionary narrative that opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society."
It is published by Momentum Industries, which is owned by former Texas State Board of Education member Cynthia Dunbar, a rightwing conservative Christian lawyer who homeschooled her children and released her book "One Nation Under God: How the Left Is Trying to Erase What Made Us Great" while serving on the board from 2007 to 2011.
Dunbar calls public schools "tyrannical" and a "tool of perversion" in her book. She formerly taught law at Liberty University in Virginia, the self-described "world's largest Christian university," and was co-chair of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign in Virginia.
Cruz announced his candidacy at the university, which was founded by the late evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell in 1971.
Nothing in Dunbar's biography on her Linkedin page suggests she has expertise in Mexican-American history. Nor do the book's authors, Jaime Riddle and Valarie Angle, claim any background in the subject on their Linkedin pages.
Angle did not reply to a request for an interview, via social media.
The book lists three other people with connections to Liberty University as contributors, two of them former employees of the school.
Brian Cody, an African-American, works as a "program editor" for the university, according to its website.
Cody did not respond to a phone message or email seeking comment.
Texas Board of Education Chairwoman Donna Bahorich said the board solicits textbooks by sending out a "proclamation."
"Basically, it's a call for materials that would incorporate our TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, so anyone can answer a call and submit materials, as long as you meet the criteria that's sent out in the proclamation," Bahorich said in an interview.
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills are state standards on what students should know to graduate, according to the Texas Education Agency, whose commissioner sits on the board and advises it in a secretarial capacity.
Bahorich, a Republican who lives in Houston, joined the board in January 2013, and Gov. Greg Abbott appointed her chairwoman in June 2015.
Bahorich said that this "proclamation cycle" is different because the textbooks up for the board's review are available online for public comment; in previous cycles commenters had to go to a state office to see them.
The board's vice chairman Thomas Ratliff, a Republican who for his day job lobbies the Texas Legislature for T-Mobile and Microsoft, said board members do not have the time or expertise to read and vet submitted textbooks.