Texas Native American studies course further delayed, triggering frustration

DALLAS -- Decisions about a new Native American studies course are delayed again as it won’t come forward for statewide approval this month, frustrating advocates who spent years pushing for the class.

State Board of Education chairman Aaron Kinsey, R-Midland, confirmed in a statement an initial vote on the American Indian/Native Studies course standards will not be on April’s agenda.

Discussions on the class were expected in January, but Kinsey said at the time a first reading on the course “was postponed to allow members more time to review its contents.” Advocates quickly directed their hopes to the April meeting — and are now disappointed once again.

The high school course was vetted by state officials and piloted in Grand Prairie. Several tribal councils and cultural organizations reviewed and endorsed the class.

The delays exasperated Native leaders and several education equity groups. They emphasize that Texas students should have the opportunity to learn about Native contributions to science, technology and culture.

“We are still here, and that’s what we’re asking for this course to communicate and to give to the children of our state: that understanding that we are still here and we are of value,” Hawana Huwuni Townsley, a member of the Comanche Nation, said at a news conference last week.

Proponents of the course held the news conference to urge Kinsey to put the standards up to a first vote during the upcoming...