AUSTIN - A proposal for new social studies curriculum in Texas public schools removes a mention of Christmas in a sixth-grade lesson, replacing it with a Hindu religious festival, a change that's riled conservatives.

"It's outrageous that the war on Christmas continues in our state and in our nation," said Jonathan Saenz, a lobbyist for the conservative Free Market Foundation. "This effort to mislead students about current society is shameful and must be stopped."

The draft proposal being considered by the State Board of Education won't be formally adopted until next May for the 2011-2012 school year.

The standards will remain in place for the next decade, dictating what's taught in social studies classes in elementary and secondary schools.

The standards also will be used to develop state tests and by textbook publishers who develop material for the nation based on their largest market, Texas.

The standards currently instruct sixth-grade students to be able to explain the significance of religious holidays such as the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.

The proposal, which is set to be debated during a hearing next week, removes the words Christmas and Rosh Hashana. Diwali, a Hindu festival, is added.

In a note explaining the change, members of a review committee wrote "the examples include the key holiday from each of the five major religions."

David Barton, a Republican activist serving on a team of experts advising the board, argued in his recommendations that Christmas and Rosh Hashanah should remain.

"America is not equally divided among these five religions," Barton wrote. Mentioning Christmas and Rosh Hashana "does not promote either Christianity or Judaism; rather, it simply acknowledges with accuracy the religious culture of America as it actually exists."