Republican lawmaker files bills to ban DEI in Texas K-12 public schools

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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.

Sen. Brandon Creighton, the Conroe Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Education K-16, introduced both Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1565 after Gov. Greg Abbott expressed support in his State of the State address earlier this month for Texas banning diversity practices across its more than 1,200 public school districts.

The introductory text in the legislation suggests school districts that fail to comply with the proposed DEI ban could lose out on funding, but neither bills specify how that would happen. Public schools receive funding primarily from local property taxes and the state budget.

SB 12, dubbed by Creighton the Parental Bill of Rights, 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. It would require districts to create policies for disciplining employees who engage in or assign DEI-related tasks to others. And it would ban classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.

SB 1565 builds on that proposal by allowing parents to submit complaints to principals about alleged DEI violations 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 prevent 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.”

A nod to Creighton’s aim to expand parental rights, SB 12 would also allow parents to apply to remove their children from their local school district to attend another. Under most circumstances currently, a child must attend the school district closest to where the student lives. In SB 12, the district the family applies to could deny the transfer request under certain circumstances, like if it lacks space to accommodate the child or if it has a policy prohibiting students with a criminal background.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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