{"id":571717,"date":"2021-05-06T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=571717"},"modified":"2021-05-05T12:24:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T16:24:02","slug":"gop-lawmakers-look-to-ban-woke-philosophies-like-critical-race-theory-in-texas-schools","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/gop-lawmakers-look-to-ban-woke-philosophies-like-critical-race-theory-in-texas-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Lawmakers Look to Ban \u2018Woke Philosophies\u2019 Like Critical Race Theory in Texas Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is published in partnership with <\/em>TexasTribune.org<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

M<\/span>irroring moves by other red-state legislatures across the country, Texas Republicans are attempting to reach into classrooms and limit what public school students are taught about the nation’s historical subjugation of people of color.<\/p>\n

Two bills moving through the Texas Legislature would bar the teaching of critical race theory<\/a>, an academic discipline that views race as a social construct and examines how racism has shaped legal and social systems.<\/p>\n

Decrying critical race theory has emerged as a common refrain among conservative Republicans nationwide, but the Texas legislation would go further by discouraging Texas students from discussing current events or controversial public policy issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexans reject critical race theory and other so-called \u2018woke\u2019 philosophies that maintain that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex or that any individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive,\u201d Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a> said last week in a statement<\/a> endorsing the legislation. \u201cThese divisive concepts have been inserted into curriculums around the state, but they have no place in Texas schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

But educators and social justice experts see the efforts as an attack on the state\u2019s civic education curriculum at a time when students should be learning more, not less, about civics, social justice and history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is more attention being given than ever before to the societal problem [of civic education] and how to fix it, which is why Texas, like every other state in the union right now, has so many civic education bills being put forth,\u201d said Wendy May-Dreyer, who leads the Texas Civic Education Coalition. \u201cThe problem is we have a small faction who\u2019s trying to quash that effort, that progress forward, and if we miss our opportunity, the Legislature doesn\u2019t meet for another two years, and we likely have just missed the boat completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, the Senate passed Senate Bill 2202<\/a>, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton<\/a>, R-Conroe, which bans teaching that \u201cone race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; (2) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.\u201d Many Texas Republicans see critical race theory as a way to give students implicit or unconscious bias training, which Creighton’s bill seeks to prohibit. It passed the upper chamber 18-13, all its supporters white Republicans.<\/p>\n

The state House is set to consider SB 2202\u2019s sister bill, HB 3979<\/a>, proposed by Rep. Steve Toth<\/a>, R-The Woodlands, as early as this week.<\/p>\n

Teachers’ organizations and education advocacy groups alike have mobilized to oppose both bills, and groups with no official stance toward critical race theory, like the Texas Civic Education Coalition, oppose the bills because they limit civics engagement and learning for students.<\/p>\n

Beyond discouraging teachers from discussing current events and critical race theory, SB 2202 and HB 3979 also prohibit students from receiving class credit for participating in organizations that promote civic engagement and interest, according to the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. And the bills would ban school districts from receiving private funding for opportunities like social studies curriculum development, course materials and teacher training, as well. That provision means individual schools won\u2019t be able to accept donations or materials for teaching the 1619 Project<\/a> curriculum, a program developed by The New York Times Magazine that centers on critical race theory.<\/p>\n

Many of the bill\u2019s proponents have focused on playing to the popularity of banning critical race theory from Texas schools, May-Dreyer said, but few have mentioned the other provisions to diminish efforts to expand the state\u2019s civic education curriculum.<\/p>\n

Texas AFT, the Texas State Teachers Association, Texas Educators Vote, the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition, the Texas Council for the Social Studies and The Education Trust have all expressed strong opposition to the bills, agreeing with May-Dreyer\u2019s points while also going further to defend critical race theory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese bills try to ignore or downplay the racism, sexism and other injustices in our state\u2019s and nation\u2019s history, but students must be encouraged to fully explore and understand those injustices if Texas is to provide an equitable future for a rapidly diversifying population,\u201d said Clay Robison, a public affairs specialist for TSTA.<\/p>\n

In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Creighton defended his bill, arguing that Texas schools should emphasize \u201ctraditional history, focusing on the ideas that make our country great and the story of how our country has risen to meet those ideals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the country, many Republican-controlled state legislatures are considering similar bills to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory. Last week, Idaho<\/a> became the first state to officially bar critical race theory from public schools and colleges after the governor signed the legislation, which the bills proposed in Texas closely mirror.<\/p>\n

Also last week, the Louisiana House Education Committee discussed a similar bill authored by state Rep. Ray Garofalo. He withdrew the legislation after his colleagues criticized him for commenting on \u201cthe good\u201d of slavery, according to The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot talking about racism and other forms of injustice won\u2019t make them go away,\u201d said Jonathan Feinstein, the Texas state director of The Education Trust. \u201cThis unnecessary bill \u2014 like others introduced across the country \u2014 prevents schools from proactively addressing harmful acts of discrimination, ties the hands of teachers rather than supporting them, and seeks to hold students back from grappling with and helping to solve real challenges facing our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

With just a few weeks left in this session, the battle over this legislation may go down to the wire. Rep. Harold Dutton<\/a>, a Black Democrat from Houston who chairs the House Public Education Committee, pulled Toth\u2019s HB 3979 back to the committee on Monday morning. Later Monday, members voted the bill out of committee for a second time with Dutton’s support. Dutton’s office did not respond to a request for comment on why he voted for the bill. Experts said they expect the bill to reach the House floor at some point in the next three weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prohibitions in the bill are broad and may be interpreted in ways that limit the learning, diversity and inclusion efforts already underway in schools across Texas,\u201d said Zeph Capo, the president of Texas AFT. \u201cThe last thing we need is more overly broad \u2018education\u2019 legislation that will trap our state and school districts in expensive, needless litigation. Let teachers teach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duncan Agnew is a reporting fellow at <\/em>the Texas Tribune<\/em><\/a>, the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.<\/em><\/p>\n

Disclosure: Texas AFT, Texas State Teachers Association and New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete <\/em>list of them here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n