The Parents Bill of Rights, Governor Abbott, and Texas’ (In)appropriate Curriculum by Greg Pulte, Ph.D.

 The Parents Bill of Rights, Governor Abbott, and Texas’ (In)appropriate Curriculum

by 

Greg Pulte, Ph.D.

This is not leadership: When dealing with the actual problem is too big for you, make up a crisis. Governor Abbott promises a “Parental Bill of Rights.” That sounds patriotic. Perhaps the more patriotic act would be to finally deal with COVID, or with our precarious PowerGrid.

According to Abbott, parents are losing their voice when it comes to their children’s education. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2022/01/20/gov-abbott-promises-parental-bill-of-rights-in-texas-education/. Have they reached out to their school principal yet?

The newest “crisis” originated in Keller ISD where a parent claimed a “pornographic” book was discovered in a school library. Was the book really “pornographic?” Rather than the parent simply asking for the book to be removed, the governor jumped in to “develop statewide standards to ensure no child is exposed to pornography in public schools.” Is this a real problem in our school libraries?  https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2022/01/20/gov-abbott-promises-parental-bill-of-rights-in-texas-education/. Oof, school libraries must be swimming in inappropriate material for the governor to take such dramatic action. Oh wait, this is a sideshow. If this were a serious effort to battle access to pornography wouldn’t Abbott start with the internet?

Let’s also not forget the brouhaha over critical race theory, which republicans and most democrats alike have never heard of. CRT is a tool that applies to the interpretation of laws or acts that perpetuate racism in our society. CRT is not history. However, any discussion of historical and contemporary racism and the tools used to reveal that racism stirs up a self-conscious voter base on that side of the aisle - A slick way to turnout voters who do not recognize when the wool is pulled in front of their eyes.

The “Parent Bill of Rights” also requires teachers divulge class materials and activities online. Again, seriously? If Governor Abbott truly wants to know what teachers are teaching in the classroom, he should check out the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills TEKS.  The TEKS are what teachers teach. The State Board of Education SBOE requires teachers teach the TEKS the SBOE has approved. https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks/texas-essential-knowledge-and-skills.

Parents, if you have lost your voice. Schedule a conference with your school’s principal, they would be happy to receive your input.