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Slavery was described as "involuntary relocation" in a proposal to change social studies curricula in Texas public schools, according to the Texas Tribune.
Nine educators submitted their suggest changes to the State Board of Education as part of a process to update and refresh what K-2 students are learning in their social studies courses. Reporters obtained a draft of the proposal, which says students should “compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and involuntary relocation of African people during colonial times."
“The board -- with unanimous consent -- directed the work group to revisit that specific language,” Keven Ellis, chair of the Texas State Board of Education, said in a statement sent to the Tribune.
Board member Aicha Davis, a Democrat who represents Dallas and Fort Worth, says the description didn't fairly represent the horrific history of the American slave trade.
"I can’t say what their intention was, but that’s not going to be acceptable," she told reporters.
As a result, the work group now has to revise their proposal and "carefully examine the language used to describe events," the newspaper learns. The Board specifically referenced the "involuntary relocation" remark in their guidance, as well.
The State Board of Education invites suggestions to update certain curricula once every decade, and these changes will affect what Texas students in nearly 8,900 public schools learn.
These changes come one year after the Lone Star State passed a law cracking down on topics deemed too uncomfortable to teach children in schools, including topics about race relations and historic slavery.
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