Hey y’all!

Last week, I had the honor of moderating a panel in partnership with Americans United for Separation of Church and State at COURIER Texas’ “Faith, Freedom, and the Future of Texas” event over the infusion of white Christian nationalism into our Texas public schools.

If you missed the event, you’ll find coverage, clips, and photos below.

Also in this edition, we’ll take a look at how President Donald Trump’s “compact” will turn colleges into “propaganda machines,” and continue our discussion on this month’s banned book, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

If you missed last week’s, check it out here.

Photos by Willie & Kim Photography

On Nov. 5, education advocates gathered in downtown Dallas to answer a simple question: What’s at stake for Texas students? 

Turns out the answer is quite a lot. 

From requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms to a designated prayer time, several new laws are not only reshaping public schools, but chipping away at the separation of church and state in Texas.

“Imposing the Ten Commandments on public school children is unconstitutional. Full stop,” Amy Tai, senior litigation counsel at Americans United, said during “Faith 101: What’s at Stake for Texas Students.”

Watch Tai, who represents families fighting against the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, break down the harm this new law is having on her clients.

Watch Achar discuss the importance of mobilizing locally against policies hurting minority students in Texas classrooms.

Watch Samuels share the role students can play in fighting back, and the importance of local school board meetings—something they said are the “front lines of democracy to advocate for inclusivity” in Texas public schools.

In early October, the White House sent letters to nine public and private universities—including the University of Texas at Austin—urging their leaders to sign a “compact” pledging support for President Trump’s political agenda to ensure preferential access to federal research funds. 

His terms include universities adopting a stricter definition of gender, limiting international student enrollment, barring transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity, ban the consideration of race or sex in the hiring and admissions process, and more.

UT has yet to publicly reject Trump’s proposal, sparking protests in Austin and pushback from students and faculty.

I spoke with Cameron Samuels, Sumya Paruchuri, and Caro Achar about the harm the compact will have on students if adopted, and the importance of diversity on Texas college campuses.

Hear what they had to say:

👨‍🏫TEA appoints conservator for Fort Worth ISD amid takeover: Christopher Ruskowski, a former middle school teacher who served as New Mexico’s education secretary, will serve as the TEA conservator at FWISD, overseeing the school administration, attending school board meetings, and working to “bolster the district’s academic progress.” (The Dallas Morning News)

💻Texas school turns to virtual options to meet demand: Cy-Fair ISD, located in Cypress, will offer three fully online school programs next year in the wake of a virtual school expansion bill that Texas lawmakers passed this year. (Government Technology)

🔥AI-generated photo causes panic at Houston high school: A fake photo generated by artificial intelligence depicting Bellaire High School, located near Houston, on fire that was posted on social media sparked panic in parents and students. (Houston Public Media)

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 14-23, and let these questions guide you as you make your way through the start of the novel.

1. What do you make of the Ceremony, and how does Atwood use it to critique power and sexuality?

2. How does the Commander’s behavior differ in public versus private and what does it say about hypocrisy and privilege in Gilead?

3. How does the restriction of reading and writing contribute to Gilead’s power?

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