The Texas Senate passed law on Friday that would end the requirement that public schools include writings on women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement in social studies classes.
Among the characters whose works would be dropped: Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr., whose “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” would no longer shorten the curriculum.
The bill (SB 3), which was passed 18-4 in favor, has now stalled because the House of Representatives cannot reach a quorum while a breakaway group of Democrats is out of the state. The special session is scheduled to end on August 6th.
It would remove more than two dozen teaching requirements from a new law (HB 3979) banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory, an academic framework that studies how racism is shaping the country.
This law contained a list of historical figures, events, and documents required for inclusion in social studies classes. The law passed by the Senate would remove most mentions of people of color and women from these requirements, along with a requirement that students be briefed on the history of white supremacy and “the manner in which it is morally wrong”.
The measure would also ban the teaching of the 1619 Project – an initiative by the New York Times that explored US history from the time enslaved people arrived in the English colonies.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who chairs the Senate, said in a post-vote statement that “Senate Bill 3 will ensure that critical racial philosophies, including the debunked founding myth of 1619, are removed from our school curricula nationwide. ”
“Parents want their students to think critically and not be indoctrinated by the ridiculous leftist narrative that America and our constitution are rooted in racism,” said Patrick.
The Texas State Capitol building in Austin.
David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images
“What we’re doing with this bill, we’re saying a certain reading list doesn’t belong in the law,” said Bill author, Senator Bryan Hughes (R).
Instead, such requirements should be included in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS standards developed by the State Board of Education, he said.
“Not only politicians, but also teachers, parents and administrators have a say in this process,” he said.
The bill would prohibit teachers from speaking about current events or controversial topics and instruct those who choose to debate with students without “considering perspective.”
In a speech in the boardroom, State Senator Judith Zaffirini (D) said that the legislation amounts to “tying the hands of our teachers”.
“How could a teacher discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at Walmart in El Paso or at Sutherland Springs Church in my district without considering a perspective?” She said.
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