Hey y’all, 

In case you missed it, last night a federal judge ruled the state can require public schools to display the Ten Commandments, going against a group of Texas families who sought to block the new rule from taking effect in their school districts.

The plaintiffs voiced their disappointment with the ruling, but shared that they will continue to fight to reverse the decision and “uphold the religious-freedom rights of children and parents.” 

Courier Texas has closely followed this on-going fight to preserve the separation of church and state in Texas, and we’ll continue to do so. 

This week, we’ll take a look at how two Texas universities have handled the state’s diversity, equity, and inclusion ban on higher ed campuses, and dive into the ethical or unethical use of artificial intelligence at high school graduation ceremonies.

You can read last week’s edition here.

Photo courtesy of the University of Texas at Arlington

A recruiter at the University of Texas at Arlington has been fired for discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on campus, according to the Fort Worth Report. 

In a video published by Accuracy Media—a far-right conservative group that uses undercover actors with hidden cameras to expose what it considers “radical ideology” at universities—a former social work academic recruiter is seen discussing how the university is handling a new statewide ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion on higher ed campuses. 

In 2023, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 into law, which prohibits public institutions of higher education from teaching, promoting, or engaging in DEI initiatives. 

It was authored by former Republican Sen. Brandon Creighton, who is now chancellor at Texas Tech University. While there, he’s implemented new policies that restrict how professors can teach gender and sexuality. 

In the video, a staff member at UTA explains that the “intention,” “research,” and “practice” professors use regarding DEI is still the same, but they now use different words to abide by the new rule.

Photo via Unsplash

Plano Independent School District recently announced that it will use an artificial intelligence-powered tool to announce student names at upcoming graduations, and not everyone is happy with the decision.

In an email to parents, the district stated that “names matter, and we want your big moment to feel personal and accurate.” With the help of NameCheck, which is an AI pronunciation tool, students will record the correct pronunciation of their names for the platform to read. The decision has the community divided, with some voicing their support for the change and others disapproving. 

We asked our social media audience their thoughts. Here are some of their answers:

“This feels very disrespectful to me. These students have dedicated their entire young lives – investing time and energy into their studies and activities – to earn their degrees, and a staff member can’t honor their personal accomplishments by studying and saying their names? How invalidating.”

“So you’re telling me not one staff member at that school could simply learn the students’ names?”

“The very least you can do is make an effort to learn their name, which you should probably already know by now anyway, and congratulate them in person.”

I want to hear from you. Do you prefer accuracy or tradition when names are announced at graduation?

💰Texas families will know if they’ve been awarded a voucher soon: Families could learn as soon as next week whether they’ve qualified for a private school voucher, according to the Texas comptroller’s office. (KERA)

⛺How a reading campground is fostering children’s literacy in North Texas: A librarian at a Weatherford elementary school has transformed her library into a campground—complete with tents and campfires— to help students enjoy reading. (SmartBrief)

🎓Humanities professors are leaving Texas colleges: More and more professors are giving up their jobs at higher ed institutions in Texas as colleges and universities continue to censors and restrict teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation. (Inside Higher Ed)

As we begin to wrap up “The Freedom Writers Diary” in the month of April, here are some final questions to ask yourself:

1. What lessons from the book feel most relevant today?

2. How does this book compare to other frequently challenged works in Texas schools?

3. What did this book change about your perspective on education, inequality, or student voices?

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katie Serrano.

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