Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed several bills Monday with a goal of empowering parents.
The four parental rights bills passed by the Texas state legislature would give parents access to view classroom instructional materials, remove inappropriate books from school libraries, support special needs students and enable parents to decide if their child should repeat a grade level, according to the press release on Gov. Abbott’s website. (RELATED: Gov. DeSantis Signs ‘Parental Rights’ Bill Into Law)
Our schools are for education, NOT indoctrination.
Parents deserve access to curriculum, school libraries, and what their children are taught.
Today, I signed four bills to deliver on that promise.
A great start, but there is more work to be done. pic.twitter.com/rVY4VqzL0v
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 12, 2023
“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,” Gov. Abbott said in the press release.
The ACLU of Texas criticized one of the bills, alleging it would “ban books about LGBTQIA+, Black, and Brown experiences in public schools.”
BREAKING: 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.
— ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) June 12, 2023
“To be clear, we’re not done yet,” Abbott said before signing the bills. “We all know in addition to the changes I’m about to sign into law, we need to deliver on the promise to parents that parents will have the ability to choose the education pathway best for their child.”
SB 8, a bill that would set up education savings accounts for every Texas family, failed to pass the state House before a May 30 deadline. Abbott supported the original bill that passed the state Senate, but threatened to veto the watered-down House version that would have provided vouchers only to around 800,000 students.