Legal minds weigh in: Can our textbooks lie to our students legally?

[Union Yes]

If a public education history book says that Reagan championed small government, that would be a blatant lie.

Reagan created the largest government of any President in US history. Reagan increased federal government spending to the highest levels in US history.

We know this here at DU so I'm not going on a long anti ray-gun rant.

The question is..

Can our public education's history books blatantly lie to our students, legally?

Are there any legal challenges to the recent Texas Board of Education's decision to rewrite history?

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Technically, it's not a lie that he championed small government.

However, his actions were completely at odds with what he said.

The lie is not is saying he championed small government, but in NOT saying that he expanded it while exploding the national debt.

So far as I know it's not illegal, but it sure as shit is unethical.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. History is interpreted different ways, depending on the bias of the writer...

Hell, I read that some new textbooks are removing Thomas Jefferson from the list as important thinkers in our Nations history. Would you say that is accurate?

In the early 60's I had a history book that told the story of how George Washington chopped down the cherry tree. Even in Blackwell, Oklahoma in 1962 people knew that story was, well, untrue.

Yes, they can lie. There is no repricussion unless school systems refuse to buy the historical fiction they write.

[damntexdem]

4. History is also interpreted different ways, depending on the lies of the writer.

The TEA, however, has gone far beyond simple interpretation of history.

[jmowreader]

6. You know the Little Rotten Johnny George Washington joke, correct?

Little Rotten Johnny was on his grandpa's farm when he saw the outhouse next to the cliff. Little Rotten Johnny being who he is, he pushed it over the edge.

About an hour later, his dad called him in. "Johnny, did you push the outhouse over the cliff?"

'No, father, I didn't push the outhouse over the cliff.'

"Son, have you ever heard the story of George Washington and the cherry tree? One day George Washington decided to test his new axe by chopping down the cherry tree. When his father asked if he'd done it, George Washington said 'I cannot tell a lie. I did it.' And he didn't get in trouble for it at all. So, Johnny, did you push the outhouse over the cliff?'

'Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did it.'

LRJ's father beat him to within an inch of his life.

'But you said George Washington didn't get in any trouble!'

"George Washington's father wasn't sitting in the cherry tree when George cut it down."

[treestar]

3. With history it is hard to avoid veering into opinion

The history book might get awfully dull if it just listed what Reagan signed.

But a good textbook should at least indicate where the debates were instead of just supporting one side.

It is the students of Texas who would suffer from this.

I don't know if there is any law on the subject.

[elehhhhna]

5. The do, therefore they can.