Hey y’all,

I can’t believe it’s officially been one whole year of authoring The TexEd Report! Whether you’ve been with me since the start or are a brand new subscriber, thank you for joining as I continue to break down the world of politics and education in our state.

This week, you’ll find information on new restrictions the Texas Education Agency has implemented on future Texas teachers as they pursue their certification and we’ll take a look at the viral social media post from Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner Bo French, who called diversity at the University of Texas at Austin a “problem.”

You’ll also find information on an event in Houston that Courier Texas will be hosting next week with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa—we’d love for you to join us!

If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here.

The Texas Education Agency is prohibiting future Texas teachers from discussing and learning about race and gender while they prepare to become educators.

This month, the leadership of Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) at both public and private colleges across Texas were forced to sign a form that vows higher education students in teacher prep programs will follow the state’s K-12 anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion law—or face legal repercussions.

According to a recent report from Texas Public Radio, the three-page form had to be signed by Sept. 1 and requires EPP leaders to verify that courses taught to future educators don’t “discuss a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.”

The mandate also requires EPPs to prohibit advocacy-oriented service learning, and instruction concerning race and gender. Leadership had to include their full name, birthdate, and address, and pledge that their staff will comply with all the limitations. 

Over the weekend, Bo French, who is the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, saw the diversity of students at a University of Texas football game as a “problem.”

Despite several Republicans urging him to delete the post, including Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows and US Sen. John Cornyn, French double-downed. Leadership at the university also weighed in.

Others online, including State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, showed support for French, claiming the issue is about “preserving our Texas way of life.”

French went on to say that “Americans have been displaced by foreigners” and “generations of Texans have invested billions of dollars into UT. Today it is filled with foreign nationals and Leftists.” But according to the university, 90% of its admission space is reserved for Texas residents—under state law—while only 10% is reserved for out-of-state and international students. 

The UT students depicted in the photo responded to French’s racist remarks, with one student telling the Dallas Morning News: “I’ve been an American my entire life.”

French will face Democratic candidate Jon Rosenthal—who announced a record online grassroots fundraising day on Sunday—in the Nov. 3 election for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Rosenthal is a state representative and mechanical engineer with 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Learn more about their race here. 

📣 Calling all my TexEd readers in Houston! The Courier Texas team will be in your city on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to host an event with public education advocate and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa.

Join us at POST Houston for “Texas in Conversation with Gina Hinojosa,” which will be moderated by independent journalist Don Lemon. ⁣This FREE event will feature GOTV, live music, food, and a live candidate forum. Doors open at 3 PM, with the forum starting at 4 PM. ⁣

In (dis)honor of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s list of books he thinks should be banned in public school libraries, this month’s banned book is “Night” by Elie Wiesel. 

While not yet banned in Texas public schools, the memoir made headlines after Patrick claimed it should be banned. The Holocaust autobiography by Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel details his survival, along with his father’s suffering, in the Nazi death camps. Here’s a new batch of questions to consider as you make your way through the book:

1. How does Eliezer’s first night in the camp affect his understanding of the world?

2. How does fear influence the decisions people make so far in the story?

3. Is Eliezer’s loss of innocence caused more by what the Nazis do to him or by what he witnesses happening to other people?

From now through Sept. 30, we are running our Supporter Drive and we need your help to ensure we can continue to report the local stories that matter most to Texans. 

You can join us by donating to our newsroom today! Any amount helps, and every dollar counts towards our goal.

You can also help by following Courier Texas on social media if you aren’t already: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Or, share this newsletter with your friends and family. Let them know why supporting local journalism is so important in Texas.

Thank you again for being part of the Courier Texas community!