The Louisiana State Board of Education unanimously approved changes to the state’s future fourth- and fifth-grade social studies curriculum Tuesday, aligning it with a presidential executive order that renames the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order that renamed the Gulf, Louisiana educators are being encouraged to teach accordingly with the adjustment. Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley also recommends the change in social studies standards.
“The Gulf is a sustaining engine for Louisiana—it helps fuel our energy sector and food and seafood industry and sustains generations of families,” Superintendent Brumley said in a press release. “Updating our academic standards ensures alignment with the leadership of President Trump and Governor Landry while reinforcing the Gulf’s significance to our state’s future.”
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The vote does not require curriculum to change to meet the federal order, but rather requires that all new materials reflect the new name and encourages teachers and schools to acknowledge the name in their current materials. Educators are allowed to choose the curriculum they wish to teach, but they are still required to meet the state’s testing standards for education, which may include the Gulf of America.
