In Texas, for example, the state school board voted on Tuesday to preliminarily approve a new curriculum that introduces students to Jesus and Christianity, beginning in kindergarten. The K-5 curriculum created by the state, known as Bluebonnet, has been derided by religious studies experts and others. These critics say “the curriculum’s lessons allude to Christianity more than any other religion, which… 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 Bluebonnet curriculum, for example, teaches kindergarten students about the biblical story of Genesis and how it has inspired various works of art. Students are asked “to identify the order of creation.” Four-year-olds may come away from the lesson believing that it is a fact that God created the world in six days.

While the Bluebonnet curriculum is optional, Texas schools that adopt it receive an additional $60 per student. So, there is a substantial financial incentive to substitute existing lessons for the new Christianity-heavy curriculum.