Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a series of education laws designed to “empower parents” by providing curriculum transparency, increasing special education funding, and prohibiting the purchase of illicit library materials by school libraries.
In a statement provided to The Dallas Express, Gov. Abbott said, “The House and Senate did a great job to provide transformative changes for education in the state of Texas.”
“Today, I will sign four bills into law that grant parents more rights in the education of their children. One of those bills transforms school curriculum, improving it for Texas parents, students, and teachers,” Abbott continued.
The legislation referred to, House Bill 1605, will enable parents to review the materials used for instruction in addition to mandating that school districts provide teachers with all the necessary materials so that they do not have to expend additional time developing a curriculum personally.
The law also increases protections for teachers to discuss religion in the classroom by shielding them from prosecution for alleged violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment when materials are approved by the State Board of Education.
Abbott also signed HB 1926, saying, “We will empower parents of students with special needs with the tools and resources they need to provide their child with the best education.”
The law will remove the limit on funds that can be allocated to the Supplemental Special Education Services program to grant more assistance to schools offering special education services.
“I will also sign a law where parents — not school administrators — have the option to determine whether it’s in the child’s best interest to repeat a grade level,” Abbott continued, referring to HB 3803.
Lastly, Abbott said, “I’m signing a law that gets inappropriate or vulgar materials out of our schools,” suggesting that “parents deserve to know what books are in school libraries.”
HB 900 prohibits school libraries from possessing or acquiring any material that is “rated sexually explicit material by the selling library material vendor” or deemed to be “harmful material” as codified in Texas Penal Code.
Additionally, HB 900 requires the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to adopt school library collection development standards that recognize “that obscene content is not protected by the First Amendment” and “that parents are the primary decision makers regarding a student’s access to library materials.”
The inclusion of allegedly illicit or pornographic materials in taxpayer-funded libraries has been a source of contention throughout Texas recently, with a case currently before the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Some criticized the education bills signed by Abbott on Monday. Independent historian Katherine Kuehler Walters, for instance, claimed, “He only wants to empower some parents & students. Most will be left behind.”
Similarly, Joanie Rouk urged Abbott to redirect his attention to providing more taxpayer funds for public schools, writing, “I hope with your interest in signing your name to pass bills for our Texas public schools, you’re also hyper-focused on funding the very people who carry out these mandates. Fund teacher salaries and enrollment allotment!”
Critics of restrictions on illicit materials in public schools, meanwhile, suggest that such laws are merely a front for banning disfavored books. The ACLU of Texas alleged on Twitter, “Gov. Abbott signed #HB900 into law, which will ban books about LGBTQIA+, Black, and Brown experiences in public schools.”
“Lawmakers have no right taking away the freedom of Texas students to read — just because they don’t believe certain people are worth reading about,” the activist group continued. “We’ll say it again and again: Texas students deserve access to books that reflect their diverse identities. Full stop.”
Joining Abbott for the signing ceremony were several political leaders, including Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Rep. Charles Cunningham (R-Humble), Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Houston), Texas Public Policy Foundation CEO Greg Sindelar, several Texas parents, and “other parent empowerment advocates.”