Hey y’all!

Between Texas A&M restricting how professors can teach race and gender, Fort Worth ISD appealing a state takeover by the Texas Education Agency, and a second federal judge ruling that requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is unconstitutional—there’s no shortage of education news here in Texas.

If you missed last week’s edition that recapped our COURIER Texas “Faith, Freedom, and the Future of Texas” event that delved into how the new Ten Commandments law is impacting our schools, be sure to check it out.

Today, we’ll take a closer look at how voters broke a 6-1 conservative majority on the Cy-Fair school board earlier this month and the first Senate and House Select Committees on Civil Discourse and Freedom of Speech in Higher Education hearing.

Let’s get into it!

Photo by Michael Wyke via Getty Images

In recent years, conservative Republicans in Texas have targeted school boards to push their political agendas and influence what students learn—despite school board elections in Texas being officially nonpartisan.

In 2023, conservatives gained a 6-1 majority on the board of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, which is the state’s third largest district and is located northwest of Houston. 

That majority went on to implement right-wing policies in its schools by eliminating half of the district’s librarians as part of budget cuts, approving Bible-focused elective courses, removing 13 chapters from state approved textbooks that discussed diversity, vaccines, and climate change, and approving policies that harm LGBTQ+ students. 

The board also made book banning easier by implementing a new policy that requires library materials to be posted online for a 30-day period of public review before they are purchased.

But this year, after a race that included over $350,000 in campaign funds and heavily politicized campaign mailers, three candidates running on pro-public education policies and the separation of church and state were elected to the Cy-Fair ISD school board.

Lesley Guilmart in position 5, Cleveland Lane Jr. in position 6, and Kendra Camarena in position 7 all won their races after campaigning together, with each candidate receiving at least 44.8% of the vote in their respective elections on Nov. 4.

Photo courtesy of Texas Senate

The House and Senate Select Committees on Civil Discourse & Freedom of Speech in Higher Education were formed in the days after the assassination of far-right political activist Charlie Kirk, and met for the first time at the Texas Capitol last week for a hearing to review free speech on college campuses.

During the Nov. 13 hearing, they heard testimony from education officials and student body presidents over laws that have reshaped higher education in Texas. That included Senate Bill 37, which limits how faculty at public colleges can teach about history, race, and inequality; rates degree programs based on their return on investment; and lets university regents appointed by the governor interfere in hiring.

They also heard testimony on Senate Bill 2972, which restricts overnight protests; prohibits the use of speakers, megaphones, and drums while protesting during class hours; limits demonstrations that “intimidate others” or interfere with campus operations; and bars campus organizations from inviting speakers to campus.

The committees said they plan on issuing reports on “bias, discourse, and freedom of speech,” and will also consider measures to ensure political gatherings on college campuses are safe. 

The committees will also hear testimony from the public next year.

✝️Attorney General sues Central Texas school districts for refusing to display Ten Commandments: Ken Paxton is continuing his legal action against school districts refusing to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, filing lawsuits against Round Rock and Leander ISDs. (Fox 7 News)

🏫How a classroom experiment from the ‘50s changed early education: Before the federal government launched Head Start in the 1960s, an experiment led by Houston’s League of United Latin American Citizens Council 60 was already aiming to help young kids from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in school. (Houston Chronicle)

🧑‍🏫Texas superintendents say school takeovers aren’t sustainable: Texas superintendents shared their thoughts on the increasing trend of school district state takeovers at the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday. (Texas Tribune)

Welcome back to another week of the Texas Banned Book Club! If you’re just now joining us, we’re reading Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” throughout November.

This week, I encourage you all to read Chapters 24-33, and let these questions guide you as you make your way through the start of the novel.

1. How does the introduction of the Jezebel’s expand your understanding of Gilead’s contradictions?

2. What is the significance of Offred’s relationship with Nick? Is it rooted in rebellion, comfort, or survival?

3. How does Atwood use flashbacks to connect the reader emotionally to the time “before”?

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