Texas House of Racists Approves Bill White Washing Schools

It is not surprising a bill passed the Texas House that would “white wash” history and keep teachers from having important discussions about the racist history of the US and the current events arising in the country.

This is disgusting and we will continue to work towards offering every child in Texas an honest and thorough education, including on the white supremacy still fighting to control every facet of this country- espcially our children.

Here is the info:

A bill targeting school discussions of racism and social issues has been approved by the Texas House but not before lawmakers tacked on several amendments and debated the measure for hours.

The Republican authors of the broad legislation, with a companion bill that has cleared the Senate, say it aims to prevent political agendas in schools, but education advocates have expressed concerns that it will hinder student civic engagement and class discussions of history and racism. 

Dozens of organizations — including business groups and school district leaders in Austin and the Dallas area — joined opposition to the legislation. 

“The bill has gotten a great deal of attention for its focus on race and gender, but it is far more broad than that, and would limit discussion in classrooms potentially of almost any current issue,” Austin school board Trustee Lynn Boswell said.

It follows similar legislation passed in other states against the teaching of critical race theory, an academic framework of thought challenging white supremacy and systemic racism. In Texas, House Bill 3979, which passed 79-65 mostly along party lines, still requires Senate approval before it can potentially reach Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, who authored HB 3979, insisted it did not ban discussions of topics such as racism or current events, but he tweaked the bill during a Monday debate that extended into early Tuesday to say teachers may not be compelled to discuss “a particular current event or widely debated and currently controversial issue.”

"The bill simply asks that we talk about these issues from a diverse and contending perspective," he said ahead of the second vote Tuesday.

He also added an amendment specifically against requiring “an understanding of The 1619 Project,” an initiative from The New York Times examining the role of slavery in the founding of the United States that sparked criticism from conservatives.

The amendment also takes a stance against teachings that “slavery and racism are anything other than deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to, the authentic founding principles of the United States, which include liberty and equality.”

Democrats accused Toth of “white-washing history” and called the amendment hypocritical in light of another section of the bill that called for teaching “the founding documents of the United States” and specific texts.

Democrats tacked on several amendments expanding that section to include the history of women’s suffrage and various civil rights movements. 

Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, also added amendments to acknowledge “the history of white supremacy … and the ways in which it was morally wrong” and to ensure public schools cannot punish students for discussing the topics opposed in the bill.

But despite repeated efforts, Democrats failed to strike language from the legislation that bans schools from granting students credit for work with organizations involved in political advocacy and from accepting private funds for the development of curriculum that the bill opposes.

Critics, including Austin district leaders, say these provisions will severely limit students’ and schools’ work with organizations, including those such as Rotary or Boys and Girls clubs. 

“It would limit the ability for districts to partner with industry and nonprofit providers for career and technical education partners like Dell, who works with Austin ISD students for innovative courses like computer science,” Boswell said at a Monday news conference on the district's legislative priorities.

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/05/12/texas-house-approves-bill-limiting-racism-social-issue-discussion-schools/5030370001/