{"id":27488,"date":"2026-04-21T11:27:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=27488"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:27:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:27:33","slug":"texans-show-up-to-defend-education-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=27488","title":{"rendered":"Texans Show Up To Defend Education Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n              <span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 8<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have been keeping up with what is happening in our nation, odds are you know that radical Islam is deepening its roots in our nation. The message is clear. We are here, and we will not assimilate. At the beginning of April, there was a showdown at the Texas State Board of Education, when it was revealed that Muslims wanted the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) curriculum to insert themselves in and rewrite our Texas history. Christians, parents, and students all showed up to make themselves heard.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h4>Have you taken your place on the wall?<\/h4>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People showing up to state board meetings is nothing new. It should be normal for every concerned parent and Christian. However, when word spread that nearly one hundred Muslims were showing up at the State Board to influence and demand a change in the curriculum. Texans showed up in the largest turnout for a state board meeting. It was an estimated 350-400 people. From Tuesday, April 7th, to April 10th, the Texas State Board of Education meeting totaled 65 hours.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna Phillips, IFA\u2019s Texas State Leader, was present to testify. Several days before the meeting, Donna organized an emergency time of prayer in preparation. She sent emails to the IFA Texas Prayer Group and several others, asking us to call and email our District State Board representatives to let them know we did not approve of the proposed changes to the TEKS. Some of us received no responses at all, and others received messages that we must be misunderstanding what the meeting was about.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One member of the prayer group, in particular, received a somewhat alarming message from a state board member, who told her that our concerns were nothing more than fear-mongering and rhetoric. Donna was shocked that this agenda was being minimized; she emailed that representative about his remarks, and as a result, received a personal invitation to testify. She was going to attend anyway, but to be personally invited to sit in was an answered prayer.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna said she was surprised that some board members did not share the same understanding of the purpose. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They believed our concerns were misplaced and that our presence was unnecessary. However, two members openly supported those who came to speak, affirming both the people and the substance of what was presented. That validation confirmed we were addressing the same issues<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d she said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CAIR Makes Demands<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Years ago, we, along with many states, were fighting against Critical Race Theory infiltrating our Texas education; thankfully, it was banned from Texas. Over the past year, the new fight in Texas was against CAIR, an \u201cIslamic-based advocacy group\u201d that the FBI recognizes as the face of the Muslim Brotherhood in America, and they are advocating in our Texas schools? Unthinkable, but it is happening. They have shown up at the state boards four times this year.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The list of demands made was to remove the founding fathers and the founding documents. To remove everything that was patriotic, and to remove Thanksgiving. They have a serious problem with Thanksgiving<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d Board Member Julie Pickren said that when she prayed and asked the Lord why, He said, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way to tear America down is to ban thankfulness to God. It would create resentment towards God, creating more hatred towards others<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna also shared that when a\u00a0 Muslim female went up, she talked of how they were brought to America as slaves, so that made them a part of America\u2019s founding.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cThey claimed that because Muslims were among those brought as slaves, they influenced places like the Alamo\u2014even suggesting a role in its consecration. At the same time, they were careful to avoid explicit religious language while pushing for inclusion in world history and social studies. They frame it as a matter of freedom rather than constitutional grounding, while insisting that all perspectives be taught in the name of neutrality.\u201d<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the hearing, Board Member Hall<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reminded the speaker that it was Muslims who brought in other Muslims as slaves, not Americans or the founding fathers. A strategy was revealed: if they can insert themselves into the founding of this nation, then they can claim some kind of ownership and right to contest it.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One State Board member was standing alone during a break. He was the one who told a prayer team member that we were fear-mongering and then personally invited Donna to the meeting. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I saw him, I felt the Holy Spirit say, \u2018Go and introduce yourself,\u2019 so I did. I shook his hand and said, \u2018I don\u2019t know what the person wrote you, but I would like to know what prompted that response.\u2019 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She told him<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cI am a community engager, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and he replied<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, That\u2019s what I do too. You must have been confused. We aren\u2019t letting Sharia or any religion come into our education. I\u2019m not about any religion. You are pulling in points that have nothing to do with it<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d Donna said, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We want to talk about our constitution and the standard of our constitution.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> After speaking with him, Donna quickly revised her initial points to raise the standard of our U.S. Constitution.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna noted the profound difference it makes when Christians and patriots show up<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cNot everyone needs to speak, but at least show up. When we initially emailed and called about the 90 Muslims who signed up, we were told it was not true. But when we arrived, there were at least 100 Muslims who showed up, though we only saw about three women, and a small handful of Muslim students spoke out. I truly believe that the overwhelming presence of believers who showed up to speak fortified our state board members<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> My feeling is that we were there to guard the gates. God had given us authority to do so<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Donna said.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Conversation Turns into an Invitation\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside of the State Board where the testifying was taking place, Donna approached the three main female Muslim speakers. She noted that these women were quite influential among the rest, so she wanted to engage with them. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI walked over and casually introduced myself. I said, \u2018Hi. I am handing out these flyers to everyone. Would you like one?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0 These were preprinted flyers comparing Sharia law to the U.S. Constitution that IFA made. Before the day of the meeting, Donna had made copies for all fifteen members of the State Board of Education.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Muslim women, when handed the flyer, glanced at it, but when they saw the word \u201cSharia,\u201d they said no. Donna asked, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would you not want to see how Sharia is not compatible with our laws? You do not have those rights here.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> One woman responded, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you mean we don\u2019t have those rights?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d She then began to compare the Bible with the Quran and said, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Bible is just as bad. Do you know how old Rebekah was when she married Isaac?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As she talked about Rebekah\u2019s age, Donna mentioned Mohammed and Aisha. They denied everything. But Donna told them, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am studying several of your texts. It\u2019s not only in the Quran, but also in other writings that confirm Aisha was only six when Mohammed, aged 50, married her, and nine at consummation. Our constitution protects children from abuse and child marriage<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no comparison.\u00a0 Anyone against the U.S. Constitution can\u2019t possibly thrive here<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Donna said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An adolescent muslim boy spoke to Donna and said, in a challenging tone<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cWell,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what age do you think it\u2019s okay for a girl to get married<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d She shared that when a child is an adult and able to sign their own marriage certificate. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child marriage is harmful to women and children<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d she said. Donna believes that for this boy to ask that question<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alone proves he\u2019s already been indoctrinated by their ideology.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna had prepared printed material and said I could show it to you. Surprisingly, he agreed to see the material and began walking with Donna when one of the women, possibly a relative or guardian, grabbed his arm and said, \u201cNo.\u201d Even though he was stopped, <\/span>we counted it as a sign of praise that, for a moment, this young man thought for himself and expressed interest in reading other material that conflicted with his theology. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, they stayed away and chose not to mingle or even sit near the same side. They kept themselves segregated from the rest of the group, Donna shared. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no comparison. If you are against the U.S. Constitution, there is no way you can thrive here<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Donna said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was a three-day meeting, a heated battle for the future of our Texas children and our educational standards. Donna said that Texas is a testing ground. What is passed here will flow into other states. It was crucial that so much intercession went on behind the scenes, as well as the many who went and put their boots on the ground at the state board.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To God Be The Glory<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State Board Member Julie Pickren was on IFA\u2019s Thursday Webcast with Chief Program Officer Kris Kubal to talk about the miraculous answer to prayer. She believes that because so many believers, parents, and patriots showed up, the atmosphere shifted.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tensions ran high, and nerves were frayed. The first night went 18-20 hours straight; we hadn\u2019t eaten. But we decided that we needed to defeat the lies and put the truth in place. America was founded on Christian values. For the first time in sixty years, we added standards that haven\u2019t been taught anywhere in the U.S. We added the Great Awakening, and the Black Robed Regiment, the Pastors and Freedom Fighters who were crucial to the founding of our Declaration of Independence. We added virtue and\u00a0 Judeo-Christian values. We are teaching our children that honor and patriotism produce excellent citizens<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Pickren said.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span>We submitted over twenty amendments, and they all passed<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Member Pickren said. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was a miracle, especially because at the last meeting, we did not have the votes. It looked as if the votes would go in favor of CAIR. We thought it would take a much longer process, but it became an Ephesians 3:20 moment<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, she said.\u201d<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In June, the Texas State Board of Education will meet for the second reading and final adoption of the amendments. This is crucial because no substantive amendment can be made (attempts to change) on a second reading<\/span>. \u201cWe need one more vote to make it a law. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cIf, and God willing, when this passes, it will stand for fifteen years in Texas. The next step is for national publishers to work on textbooks, develop the materials, and adapt them to the standards. This is not just for Texas, but will impact every state in the country. Once these standards become law, they will be mandated and cannot be vetoed<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Member Pickren said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will you continue to stand in the gap with us so that, in June, the added amendments inserting God into our history and preserving Texas history will pass the final vote? What happens here can affect your state, too.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Father, we thank You for this miraculous answer to prayer, and the prayers of every intercessor who showed up, spoke, called, emailed, or prayed in agreement. We cover member Pickren and all who are contending for our children\u2019s futures, and we stand in agreement with your word in Ephesians 3:20. We ask that, in the final vote in June, You do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to your power. Be exalted in our education mountain, in Texas, and America, in Jesus\u2019 name, amen.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>\n<\/p>\n<h4>Add your own prayers in the comments below.<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Spotify<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anchor<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and listen to her podcast, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something To Share<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<em>Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images via Canva Teams.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n&#13;\n            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 8 minutes If you have been keeping up with what is happening in our nation, odds are you know that radical Islam is deepening its roots in our nation. The message is clear. We are here, and we will not assimilate. At the beginning of April, there was a showdown at the Texas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[3661,449,1534,2847,9071],"class_list":{"0":"post-27488","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-prayer","8":"tag-defend","9":"tag-education","10":"tag-show","11":"tag-standards","12":"tag-texans"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}