Civics education in Texas has been turned into textbook study by a 2021 law that bans student interaction with elected officials. Apparently, the Republicans who control state government want to keep students in the dark about getting involved in civic action. Participation is a feature of civic education, but it’s illegal in the Lone Star State.
The defining experience of Jordan Zamora-Garcia’s high school career – a hands-on group project in civics class that spurred a new city ordinance in his Austin suburb – would now violate Texas law.
Since Texas lawmakers in 2021 passed a ban on lessons teaching that any one group is “inherently racist, sexist or oppressive”, a little-noticed provision of that legislation has triggered a massive fallout for civics education across the state.Being the only one leaves a mark: a Black mother on the long shadow of school segregation
Tucked into page 8 is a stipulation outlawing all assignments involving “direct communication” between students and their federal, state or local officials – short-circuiting the training young Texans receive to participate in democracy itself.
Zamora-Garcia’s 2017 project to add student advisers to the city council, and others like it involving research and meetings with elected representatives, would stand in direct violation.Since 2021, 18 states have passed laws restricting teachings on race and gender. But Texas is the only one nationwide to suppress students’ interactions with elected officials in class projects, according to researchers at the free expression advocacy group Pen America.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Re “Tucked into page 8 is a stipulation outlawing all assignments involving “direct communication” between students and their federal, state or local officials”
Yo, this violates the Federal Constitution that states that all citizens have the right to petition their elected officials.
It certainly does.
Makes me think of 2 weeks ago in Nashville. Tennessee high school and college students packed the halls of the GOPee Legislature. And really conducted themselves with calm, courage and intelligence as they interacted with elected official idiots. The adults looked like asses but the kids rocked steady on the gun death issues. Very powerful and certainly what Abbott Mafia wants to avoid in Texass.
Bless those kids!!!! More of this!!!!!!!
This move to deny students access to elected officials is one more symptom of budding fascism in the GOP. They do not want to be held accountable to their constituents so they pass laws to keep the public at bay. DeSantis has followed this blueprint by restricting protests in front of elected officials’ homes, passing laws that impede public scrutiny and making it more difficult for people to join unions and for unions to collect dues. The right wing extremists want to operate behind closed doors without the prying eyes of the people or the press. These type of laws and actions are a deliberate attempt to evade democracy.https://www.americanoversight.org/in-the-documents-anti-democratic-proposals-originating-in-the-office-of-gov-desantis
This move to deny students access to elected officials is one more symptom of budding fascism in the GOP.
exactly
Knuckle-dragging Pugs in Texas and elsewhere are getting tired of very young people who haven’t sold out to oligarchs and who aren’t trying to use propaganda to leverage fear in the proletariat coming before them, calling them out, and speaking truth to power. When kids get involved, they turn up the dirt and subvert the good-ole-boy and gal status quo (sub–[digging] below; vert–the top layer, the green stuff, the ground).
Ofc, there is nothing green about current Repugnicanism, so that’s where that metaphor breaks down.
But guess what? Unless the Pugs either seize absolute control and the ability to enforce that by violence OR change utterly, they are going to be washed away by the tide of cultural change that the young people of our country embody. (Sorry about the mixed metaphor, but you know what I mean.)
As a Texas government teacher, it is my interpretation that communicating with an elected official can not be a GRADED assignment. I am allowed to encourage them to write, email, or tweet at their elected officials, but I can not force them to or make it an assignment. If the student chooses to do it, that’s fine.
“As a Texas government teacher…” You have my admiration and sympathy all rolled up in one. Kind of like trying to teach cannibals to become vegans. And you can’t even use a daily paper in your class to discuss without fearing for some retribution from any direction. Well, from the right, at least.
Wow! That’s a terrible law. But does it just outlaw the “assignment” of contacting a legislator, or does it outlaw the actual contacting? I would assume the latter would be a violation of the 1st Amendment.
May I suggest creating after school Junior State of America programs? I was a volunteer when my son was in high school and never met a more passionate and intelligent bunch of students. This org is student led and run with adult facilitation. They plan the conventions, including the topics of debate at school, district and regional level. JSA also provides amazing summer school opportunities at participating colleges. My son had a wonderful experience at Stanford, taking college-level Constitutional Law. https://jsa.org/states/texas
Sonja,
Sounds like a wonderful program. The Texas legislature would probably ban it.
Interesting to juxtapose this with the NPR story about history and civics test scores falling. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/03/1173432887/history-and-civics-scores-drop-for-u-s-eighth-graders-on-national-test
“The scores in U.S. history declined five points, from 263 in 2018 to 258 in 2022, continuing a downward trend that began in 2014. Only 14% of students reached at or above “proficient” mark in history, and in civics only 22% of students met the same benchmark.”
History and civics are like electives in many schools due to test pressure.
That’s a first amendment lawsuit waiting to happen
Just when you think these Texasses can’t get any more ignorant, it’s like “Hold my Lone Star!” 🍺
Where I come from, politicians shake hands and kiss babies. Apparently, in Texas, today’s politicians kiss hands and shake babies.
Insanity in the quest for power and wealth has many faces: Abbott, DeSantis, Trump, et al.
Politico, 4-30-2023, “The under-the-radar issues that will shake up 2024” Heidi Heitkamp gave her view- Education.
I predict that abortion and education will be the big issues in 2024.
I think education will be a rhetorical talking point, but not a reason why the vast majority will cast their votes or decide any election that is not school board/state department of education-related. I hope I am wrong.
agree-
It will be abortion. And, I’ll add cost of living.
Neoliberal Dems have the baggage of donors like Gates.
It’s hard to erase a well-documented public policy position. Their opponents aren’t going to ignore it. Added problem, Neera Tanden’s name is being resurrected as a possible advisor to Biden.
Dems who were/are all in for charters, Dianne Feinstein, Michael Bennett, Dick Durbin, Amy Kobuchar, Tom Carper (Del.), and, the Landrieu’s of Louisiana. Sherrod Brown was somewhat in and he’ll do and say anything in the red state of Ohio to be elected just like JD Vance.
Education could’ve been a winner of an issue…too much water under the dam? The Dems will try to salvage something from it but, the power brokers assume government employees are already committed to voting blue. That leaves the liberal young (already voting blue) and parents and the Black vote (already voting blue).
I’d speculate parents vote pocket book.
“Gutted by law” – as explained by Jacobin (6-23-2022)
If you want to know why state gun laws have been weakened, focus in on pro-birth Leonard Leo. One of the two funds Leo created, The Concord Fund (formerly, Judicial Crisis Network) is the top financier of the Republican Attorney Generals Association. Twenty-six of the Republican AG’s worked to weaken state gun laws. Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the US.
Leo’s 2nd fund is, The 85 Fund (formerly the Judicial Education Project). In a very short period the two funds amassed $114 mil. dollars. Recipients of the largesse- Becket Fund for Religious Freedom, Catholic Vote Civic Action, Susan B Anthony List,…
The Jacobin article title, “Dark Money Built the Supreme Court’s Radical Conservative Supermajority”
How can Republicans be both pro-life and pro-death?
Right wing religion-
The anti-abortion issue is about patriarchy and denial of rights for women. The death penalty for convicted criminals fits in to authoritarianism. And, gun ownership is the veneer of manliness.
No contradiction in their views. It’s the jargon of justification that makes others think the views are inconsistent.
The person who could explain it is the junior senator from Nebraska, former governor, who opposed abortion even in cases of rape and incest, favored the death penalty, opposes CRT and affirmative action, J Peter Ricketts.
Is that question intended to be ironic? Dense people want to know.
If the students, aren’t, supposed to, be allowed to, ask questions about the laws, then, how do you, expect them, to grow up and, become, informed, voters? This is, like the, Cultural Revolution in China from, way, way, W-A-Y back…
Let me get this straight. Elected officials made a law discouraging people soon to be eligible voters, constituents from having being in contact with elected officials? Politicians do not want to court votes? Why? That’s so dumb. They seem determined to lose.It makes no sense.
Edit, LCT, edit!
Just when you think things can’t get any more bizarre, here comes Texas to prove us wrong.