Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Dallas Independent School District teacher Jocelyn Foshay was guiding a social studies lesson with her middle school class about the amendment that protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure.
Where was the Fourth Amendment to protect Breonna Taylor? a student asked her, referring to a Black woman who was shot and killed in her apartment by Louisville police officers during a botched raid in 2020.
Foshay turned the question back to her students. What do you think? she asked, allowing students to process their thoughts and draw their own conclusions.
These are the kinds of conversations and questions that teachers say are typical of students, especially in the past year as the news cycle has exploded with stories about race relations, injustice and inequity. These sorts of conversations about current events often can be teachable moments and exercises for critical thinking for young minds, educators say.
But Texas educators say theyre concerned they wont be able to have these types of open, far-reaching conversations, often prompted by inquisitive students, if the Texas Legislature approves a bill that restricts how teachers can discuss current events in the classroom and teach about Americas historical treatment of people of color.
House Bill 3979, which mirrors legislation making its way through state legislatures across the country, has been coined the critical race theory bill, though neither the House nor Senate versions explicitly mention the academic discipline, which studies the ways race and racism have impacted Americas legal and social systems.
Supporters of the bill argue they are trying to combat personal biases bleeding into public education.
We want to do our part to preserve the system and yes to talk about our history, warts and all, said state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, on the Senate floor Friday. But present it truly and accurately, especially those founding principles, which have made Americans so special.
A new version of the bill, which was substituted on the Senate floor late Friday night and approved, says teachers cant be compelled to discuss current events and if they do, they must explore it from multiple positions without giving deference to any one perspective. The bill also has already passed out of the House.
It bars students from getting course credit for civic engagement efforts, including lobbying for legislation or other types of political activism. It also added a civics training for teachers to be developed by the state and a list of founding documents students must be required to be taught.
The Texas Education Agency estimates that the new training program will cost $15 million annually starting in 2023.
Teachers say the language of the bill is often vague and its unclear to them how the bill will directly impact or change their lessons. But the fear of being at odds with the law alone could create a chilling effect, they said.
Part of his bill that kind of makes me freeze up is like feeling like I cant talk about race or feeling like Im going to say something thats out of my lane, out of my professionalism as a teacher, Foshay said. If kids arent able to make those connections [about] why this [lesson] matters to them here sitting in the classroom right now ... were really losing a piece of making school matter to kids.
Supporters of the legislation say they have concerns teachers are unfairly blaming white people for historical wrongs and distorting the founding fathers accomplishments. In recent years, there have been calls for more transparency about historical figures racist beliefs or connections to slavery.
Do you want our Texas kids to be taught that the system of government in Texas, in the United States, is nothing but a cover-up for white supremacy? asked state Rep. Steve Toth ,as he laid out HB 3979, which he sponsored, on the House floor in early May. Do you want them to be taught a souped-up version of Marxism?
Toth, R-Spring, told The Texas Tribune he is still having discussions about whether he will accept the new Senate's changs and send the bill straight to the governor to sign, or reject the amended legislation and request a conference committee made up of members from both chambers to resolve differences.
The fight to ban critical race theory discussions from schools has increasingly become a rallying cry among conservatives as America has grappled with racial injustice and inequities over the past year. The movement was encouraged by former President Donald Trump, who directed the federal government in 2020 to stop diversity and inclusion trainings that support similar sentiments, calling them propaganda.
Recently, 20 state attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and expressed concern with critical race theory. The letter writers, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, specifically mention the 1619 Project, a reporting endeavor from The New York Times that examines U.S. history from the date when enslaved people first arrived on American soil, marking that as the countrys foundational date. The Texas legislation would specifically prohibit schools from teaching the 1619 Project.
To suggest that America is so racist at its core and its so irredeemable and they can never overcome biases and treat each other fairly that's a real problem, Hughes said of the project.
But teachers and historians contend its impossible to teach Americas history without discussing race and injustice, especially when current events mirror historical lessons.
There is this misunderstanding that the past is walled off from the present by the bills authors, said Trinidad Gonzales, a history professor and assistant chair of the dual enrollment program at South Texas College. It is the opposite: The present and past are interconnected. That is history. The bills authors are obviously not historians.
After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Foshay said her school had a schoolwide discussion and showed the students news clips, making sure to present the event as it happened, without bias. But she worries the bill would force her to equivocate and not give students a straight answer.
Its going to feel like Im grasping at straws to present two sides of something, she said.
On Friday, Hughes tried to reassure Democrats against the bill that it would not require teachers give moral equivalency to perpetrators of horrific violence.
Third grade teacher Lakeisha Patterson, who fielded questions from her students this past year about the Black Lives Matter movement, said shes worried that constrained conversations about difficult real-life issues will ultimately disadvantage students.
If were not allowing teachers the opportunity to have these honest and intellectually appropriate conversations with their feelings about the past, then were basically silencing those communities, Patterson said. Were saying, not only are we ashamed of your heritage and your culture, but were not even at liberty to discuss it. And it just goes back to whitewashing history.
Juan Carmona, a history teacher in the Rio Grande Valley town of Donna, said he thinks this kind of legislation is in direct response to the broadening of voices and perspectives examined in the classroom as the student populations also become more diverse.
In recent years, history teachers said they have worked to diversify history curriculum, providing additional context and perspectives. In recent years, the State Board of Education added a Mexican-American history course and an African American history course thats available to all high school students.
We have seen more student involvement because they can now see their own voices, their own people, their own culture being in history, Carmona said. They never saw themselves, so they werent engaged.
School Board of Education member Pat Hardy, who used to teach social studies, said the goal of the bill isnt to Pollyanna or make it only the positives, but she speculated that it is a response to instances in school districts across the state where parents feel biases are being taught. Hardy would not name specific school districts where there were issues.
We need to really stress what a unique country we have, she said. You think about so many kids coming here as immigrants ... and they dont know from their parents about American history, love of country and all that necessarily. And so we really feel like thats an area that needs to be delved into.
Educators also worry Texas students will be at a disadvantage when taking Advanced Placement or dual enrollment classes in high school if they dont receive thorough lessons about how race and gender have shaped American society.
Mallory Lineberger, a former history teacher who now serves as a policy fellow for the advocacy group The Education Trust in Texas, says AP history students are often scored on how well they can connect historical events and modern issues.
If we cant talk about contemporary issues or current events, how are they supposed to be able to have a thorough and critical analysis of how a topic has changed over time? she said.
In a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate, the American Historical Association also cautioned that this legislation would limit student access to college courses.
The uncertainty of how [the legislation] will be implemented and the likely loss of offerings for dual-enrollment and AP History courses could hurt Texass progress toward increasing its college-educated population, Jacqueline Jones, association president, said in the letter. Last year 12 percent of all college students in Texas were dual-enrollment students. History is the most offered course in dual enrollment.
More than 220 Texas historians and teachers across the state have signed a separate letter opposing the bill and sharing similar concerns.
Lineberger also identified around 190 current Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the state approved and required education standards, that she said directly conflict with the bill.
For instance, middle schoolers are expected to analyze the historical background of various contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions.
Teachers are also concerned students will be less likely to learn how to participate in the political and civic process if they are not able to assign those kinds of activities or award extra credit. Foshay in Dallas ISD says district leaders have put a large emphasis on an initiative called project-based learning in which students learn by trying to solve real-world problems, which she said can include internships or civic work in the community.
Bill supporters said the legislation would not prevent students from being able to participate in the political process, lobby lawmakers or attend rallies, but it would prevent teachers from requiring students participate in those events for credit or extra credit. The most recent version of HB 3979 approved by the Senate does clarify students can participate in community charitable projects, but Foshay worries it will mean fewer students become engaged in their broader communities.
Part of me wants to say kids will do this work whether or not they get a grade on it, she said. But I don't entirely believe that ... because I do think schools really do help them facilitate projects they do.
Disclosure: Education Trust 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 list of them here.
See original here:
Texas educators worry critical race theory bill will stifle learning - The Texas Tribune
- Why Congress Must Reform FISA Section 702and How It Can - brennancenter.org - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- CIA wants more power to spy on Americans - Washington Times - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Keyboard search warrants and the Fourth Amendment | Brookings - Brookings Institution - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Just Published: "Terms of Service and Fourth Amendment Rights" - Reason - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Can Texas police set up DWI checkpoints in Dallas-Fort Worth? Here's what to know - Yahoo News Canada - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- The FBI's Lawless Raid on U.S. Private Vaults Shows Why the Founders Created the Fourth Amendment | Jon Miltimore - Foundation for Economic Education - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- HCSO to release body cam footage to plaintiff alleging Fourth Amendment violation - Smoky Mountain News - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Section 702 surveillance doesn't belong in the NDAA - Defense One - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Valkyrie's Fourth Amendment for the Launch of a Bitcoin ETF - Crypto Times - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Digital justice: Supreme Court increasingly confronts law and the internet - Washington Times - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]
- Trump and Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment: An Exploration ... - JURIST - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Expert Q&A with David Aaron on FISA Section 702 Reauthorization ... - Just Security - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- A Constitution the Government Evades - Tenth Amendment Center - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- First and Fourth Amendment Claims Over Arrest at Protest of Police ... - Reason - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Law enforcement violation of the fourth amendment - Daily Kos - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- D.C. Appeals Court weighs whether phone seizures from 2020 ... - Washington Times - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Opinion: Why you shouldn't turn on your phone in church Palo Alto ... - The Daily Post - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Court attorneys group hosts CLE seminar with esteemed Justice ... - Brooklyn Daily Eagle - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Former Dona Ana County Deputy Sheriff Charged with Federal Civil ... - Department of Justice - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Editorial: Renters rights ruling | Opinion - nwestiowa.com - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- U.S. Attorney's Statement Regarding Proposed Changes to Crime ... - Department of Justice - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- New Jersey provides a road map for fighting racially biased traffic ... - Slate - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Animal rights advocates sue after facing ongoing censorship and ... - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Gerald Jako Pleads Guilty to Two Counts of Murder in Ohio County - Wheeling Intelligencer - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Supreme Court of Appeals Visits Campus The Parthenon - MU The Parthenon - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and ... - Tax Management India. Com - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Legal Strategies For A Strong Defense Against Bribery Accusations - American Judicature Society - September 25th, 2023 [September 25th, 2023]
- Police get new images of area break-in suspect - Southwest Virginia Today - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Napolitano: Is the CIA in your underwear? | News, Sports, Jobs - Standard-Examiner - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Bulletin: Maryland Juvenile Services Head Says Violence Among ... - The Trace - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Tased horseman's excessive force claims clear bar Rhode Island ... - Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- The absurdity of fact-checkers | Columnists | leader-call.com - leader-call.com - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Facial Recognition Technology and False Arrests: Should Black ... - Capital B - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Letter to the editor - Southeast Iowa Union - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Petition hopes to stop US government agencies from using ... - Cointelegraph - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Passing on the legacy of 9/11 to the next generation The ... - The Duquesne Duke - September 15th, 2023 [September 15th, 2023]
- Congress Should Reauthorize a Key Intelligence Tool - Foreign Policy Research Institute - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Kansas City police made arrests based on rescinded warrants ... - Kansas Reflector - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Tased horsemans excessive force claims clear bar - Virginia Lawyers Weekly - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Ball is in AL's court - newagebd.net - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Lawsuit against police chief just the latest shoe to drop in Marion ... - Kansas Reflector - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- In the wake of Idalia, residents of one Florida town are turning to ... - Poynter - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- NYPD using drones to monitor NYC backyard Labor Day parties, spurring privacy concerns - NBC New York - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- City of Grand Rapids dismissed, lawsuit against Christopher Schurr ... - FOX 17 West Michigan News - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- OSHA's Proposed Rule Would Allow Union Walkthroughs of All ... - Fisher Phillips - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Letters From Readers, Aug. 31, 2023 | Opinion | avpress.com - Antelope Valley Press - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Where are the Noah's Park animals? - The Pike County Courier - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- His hands were up: Attorney for football game shooting victim says civil rights violated - Yahoo News - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- NYC voters explain why theyre voting for RFK Jr. over Biden: Going ... - 1330 WFIN - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Houston Food Not Bombs in Court over Feeding the Unhoused - The Texas Observer - September 5th, 2023 [September 5th, 2023]
- Search and seizure Equal protection Discriminatory policing - Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Timing of Computer Search Warrants When It Takes the ... - Reason - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Councilmembers Inquired About Pretext Stops By Police One Year ... - Pasadena Now - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- BARINGS BDC, INC. : Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet... - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Alabama appeals court reverses murder conviction of Ala. officer ... - Police News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Oakland narrows town manager search to five | West Orange Times ... - West Orange Times & SouthWest Orange Observer - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Durham Report Is Right About the Need for More FBI Oversight - Reason - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Collective knowledge doctrine applies to a traffic stop - Police News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Interpretation: The Fourth Amendment | Constitution Center - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Public Schools :: Fourth Amendment -- Search and Seizure :: US ... - January 2nd, 2023 [January 2nd, 2023]
- BSE : Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2022 - Marketscreener.com - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Trump legal counsel vows 'Fourth Amendment based' challenge to Mar-a ... - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Get to Know the EFA: Digital Fourth - EFF - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Arguments heard in body in trunk case | News, Sports, Jobs - Minot Daily News - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Ormond Beach Planning Board to meet Thursday - Ormond Beach Observer - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Limiting the Power of Police in Schools - The Regulatory Review - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Letter to the Editor: What Republicans Believe - Door County Pulse - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Trump wants other presidents investigated - KRLD - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Trump Rally Speech Shows He's 'Guilty and Scared': Former Prosecutor - Newsweek - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Court Strips Immunity From Cop Who Shot A Dog Within Seconds Of Arriving On The Scene Of A Non-Crime - Techdirt - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Claiming to have 4.3 trillion readers, the Onion supports parodist and its writers' paychecks in SCOTUS brief - ABA Journal - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- INHIBRX, INC. : Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- PennLive goes to court for records related to U.S. Rep. Scott Perrys cell phone - PennLive - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Rusty Hardin & Associates Strengthens Litigation Team with Addition of Attorney Aisha Dennis - PR Newswire - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Vancouver City Council asked to OK $725000 deal with family of man killed by police - The Columbian - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Govt plans to auction 22 mineral blocks in 3 states within next two months - Business Standard - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Fort Worth officers sued after being accused of violating rights - WFAA.com - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- LSU professors, students weigh in on constitutionality of room scans for online exams - The Reveille, LSU's student newspaper - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Solution for ideological division: Revising the Constitution? - The Christian Science Monitor - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Lawsuit says teen was thrown in solitary confinement and abused inside Maine's youth prisons - observer-me.com - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]