I have made my call this morning. PLEASE call your Representative.
Fellow Patriots, Parents and Grandparents, It has come to my attention that HB 11 repeals Section 21.042 of Texas Education Code. Section 21.042 provides critical oversight to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). This tiny provision was snuck into what is otherwise a fine bill that increases teacher pay. Section 21.042 of Texas Education Code is as follows: Sec. 21.042. APPROVAL OF RULES. The State Board for Educator Certification must submit a written copy of each rule it proposes to adopt to the State Board of Education for review. The State Board of Education may reject a proposed rule by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the board present and voting. If the State Board of Education fails to reject a proposal before the 90th day after the date on which it receives the proposal, the proposal takes effect as a rule of the State Board for Educator Certification as provided by Chapter 2001, Government Code. The State Board of Education may not modify a rule proposed by the State Board for Educator Certification. By removing this section, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), which is an unelected state agency, can adopt any rule they want without the oversight of the SBOE or Texas voters. Removing the SBOE’s oversight of the SBEC’s rules for Texas educators, including Texas school librarians, violates core principles of the Republican Party of Texas, including Consent of the Governed. It is also in violation of the RPT Platform Plank 119. The SBOE represents the people of Texas, including the parents of the children who attend our public schools. Removing the governing authority of the SBOE in Section 21.042 is removing the will of the parents they represent. The importance of maintaining Section 21.042 of TX Education Code was recently demonstrated by the critical action of the SBOE. On Friday, April 14, 2023, the SBOE rejected the SBEC’s proposed revisions to Chapter 19 of Texas Administrative Code, which includes Texas library certification. In these proposed revisions for Texas school librarians, the SBEC attempted to impose strict adherence to the “woke” ideology of the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics. While the 88th Texas Legislature is overwhelmingly in support of prohibiting sexually explicit materials in Texas public school libraries, the ALA considers this regulation censorship, as expressed in the ALA’s Code of Ethics. This is in direct opposition to HB 900 by Rep. Jared Patterson, which was just engrossed by the Texas House in a vote of 95 to 53. If it weren’t for the SBOE’s ability to reject proposed revisions by the SBEC, Chapter 19 of Texas Administrative Code would have been changed in a way that undermines the work of the 88th Legislature to protect Texas children from sexually explicit materials in their school libraries. Please contact your Texas House Representative and ask them to amend HB 11 in a substantive way by striking its repeal of 21.042. In liberty and God’s grace, Christin Bentley Christin Bentley M.S. SD-1 State Republican Executive Committeewoman Chair Sub-Committee Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids 619-894-0676 bentley@sd1txgop.org