Texas Gov Signs Harmful Texas Social Studies Bill into Law
San Antonio • June 15, 2021
Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law HB 3979, the dangerous bill that controls teacher and student speech in schools and prohibits important conversations about racism, discrimination and current events. The Texas Legislature rammed this bill, like other copycat bills being filed in states across the country, through the process with little input from students, teachers and communities of color in the final days of its legislative session.

“It is disappointing, but sadly not surprising that, in passing this copycat legislation, Texas chose to bow down to a small group of donors and political operatives leading efforts across the country to whitewash our history and place a gag order on students and teachers,” said Celina Moreno, IDRA President & CEO. “So much for independent thinking in Texas.”

Even though HB 3979 is now the law in Texas, students, educators and advocates must insist on truthful accounts of our history and current events in schools. We must ensure our curricula are accurate, our instruction is strong and our students are ready for the world.

To stay engaged and receive updates on promoting culturally-sustaining schools for all students, sign up for the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition listserv by contacting Ana Ramón, Deputy Director of Advocacy, ana.ramon@idra.org.
Media contact: Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA Director of Communications, christie.goodman@idra.org, 210-444-1710
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The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college. IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs.
 
IDRA works hand-in-hand with hundreds of thousands of educators and families each year in communities and classrooms around the country. All our work rests on an unwavering commitment to creating self-renewing schools that value and promote the success of students of all backgrounds.