THE TEXAS TRIBUNE – A top Texas senator filed legislation Monday that would extend the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to K-12 public schools, marking the first step in fulfilling a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s this year.
Sen. Brandon Creighton, the Conroe Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Education K-16, introduced both Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1565, measures seeking to withhold funding from Texas public schools that don’t comply with the state’s DEI ban.
SB 12 would make it illegal for Texas school districts to factor in diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and employment decisions. It would prevent schools from developing policies, programs and training that reference race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. And it would require districts to create policies for disciplining employees who engage in or assign DEI-related tasks to others.
SB 1565 builds on that proposal by allowing parents to submit complaints to principals and requiring school officials to offer parents an explanation of their response to the complaint. Parents could appeal the school’s response to the Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who the bill requires to assign an arbitrator to review the complaint and conduct a hearing.
If education officials rule against a school district, the measure would require the superintendent to testify before the State Board of Education about the findings and the number of complaints against that district.
Neither of the proposals would ban schools “from acknowledging or teaching the significance of state and federal holidays or commemorative months” or teaching how those holidays or months fit into Texas and U.S. history, according to the legislation.
During the 2023 legislative session, Texas passed a law banning diversity offices, programs and training at publicly-funded universities. The law has caused confusion and fear among university employees and students, while colleges have shuttered DEI offices and efforts. Those offices aimed to help Black, Latino, LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented students adjust to life on college campuses and foster a sense of community among their peers.
Abbott has since called on lawmakers to ensure that “no taxpayer dollars will be used to fund DEI” in K-12 public education.
“Schools must not push woke agendas on our kids,” Abbott said during his State of the State address in early February. “Schools are for education, not indoctrination.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.
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