YOUR VOICE
Who’s Talking to the Teachers?
A BY JENNIFER MITCHELL ATPE Governmental Relations Director
12 ATPE NEWS
s you know from the ads playing on your they claim are pervasive in Texas classrooms. Even television and filling your mailbox, it’s an social and emotional learning (SEL)—incorporatelection year. Right about now, you are ed into our state’s curriculum standards and pro(we hope) preparing to vote in the May 24 prima- moted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)—has ry runoff election, or you voted early. Have you been branded as a leftist conspiracy “to change noticed how many campaign messages this year children’s worldview,” as one current Texas House pertain to education? candidate and non-educator put it, or described as From local school board races to the halls of the “mind control” and “propaganda,” per a State Board U.S. Capitol, it’s hard to escape mentions of critical of Education candidate who recently won her parrace theory (CRT), patriotic education, schools’ ty’s nomination. Isn’t it ironic that the candidates response to COVID-19, library books, or parental complaining most about curriculum and textbooks rights. These are topics worthy of discussion, par- are those with zero teaching experience and peoticularly during an elecple who haven’t stepped tion year when voters foot inside a classroom must make high-stakes in decades? choices at the polls. The The point is that electELECTED OFFICIALS AND problem is that educaed officials and politiPOLITICIANS FAR REMOVED FROM cians far removed from tors like you are often left out of those converthe classroom are tellTHE CLASSROOM ARE TELLING sations altogether. ing voters a story about VOTERS A STORY ABOUT WHAT IS In 2021, Texas lawwhat is taking place in TAKING PLACE IN OUR SCHOOLS, makers passed controour schools, and many AND MANY VOTERS BELIEVE IT versial curriculum bills voters believe it withto restrict how teachout ever talking to eduWITHOUT EVER TALKING TO ers discuss current cators like you who are EDUCATORS LIKE YOU. events and sensitive in classrooms teaching history-related topics students every day and in their classrooms. We wrote on our Teach the dealing with the myriad challenges that accompaVote blog about how the Texas Senate—ruled by ny a career in education. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick—drove the legislation and Right after the March election and Abbott’s pasuspended nearly every procedural rule the cham- rental rights crusade, which took center stage in ber had to pass the bills as quickly as possible with his contested primary, the governor directed his little interference from the pesky public or even appointed commissioner of education to form a the Texas House. Senators passed the bills in the Teacher Vacancy Task Force to address alarming middle of the night after taking no public testimo- educator shortages. Initially, the state planned to ny. Regardless of your political affiliation or beliefs invite superintendents and human resources diabout the merits of those bills, all educators and rectors to serve on the committee without a single voters should be appalled by the abuse of process, teacher member. Two teachers were added to the neglect of transparency, and obvious disdain for 26-member task force just prior to its public reeducators’ input on major education legislation. veal. Its goal was to explore staffing strategies and Despite boasts by Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, and regulatory changes that would make it easier for others that the Legislature successfully “banned the schools to fill vacant positions. The question of why teaching of critical race theory” with its passage of teachers are leaving was barely an afterthought. those bills, candidates up and down the ballot this Unsurprisingly, teachers reacted with outrage, year are harping about the urgency of combatting and ATPE rightfully complained that their voices the CRT, indoctrination, and “Marxist ideology” continued on page 31
