Austin (WBAP/KLIF News) — A Mexican-American studies text book is coming under fire by elected officials appearing at hearings before the Texas State Board of Education. One sample of the text reads, “Stereotypically, Mexicans were viewed as lazy compared to European or American workers” and that “it was also traditional to skip work on Mondays, and drinking on the job could be a problem.”
The book is titled Mexican American Heritage, published by Momentum Instruction. It was the only book submitted for consideration by the state school board. Since sample passages of the book were released it has been criticized for racial bias by numerous critics. Momentum educational curriculum chief Cynthia Dunbar says the criticism is overblown and that there was no intent to be biased. She told the Texas Tribune that many of the passages being quoted were from a first draft and have since been clarified.
The board will conduct a public hearing in Austin on Tuesday.
