TCCB Testimony on SBOE K-12 Health TEKS

Yesterday, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) held a hearing on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for health education. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops submitted written testimony AGAINST the proposed sex-ed curriculum due to a number of concerns, including how it diminishes local control of education in violation of Texas Education Code 28.004 and the principle of subsidiarity, subverts the role of parents as primary educators of their children, and allows for graphic and age-inappropriate instruction.  TCCB staff members Shannon Jacquette, Policy and Education Analyst, and Rachana Chhin, Legislative Counsel, both submitted testimony. You can find their testimonies here and here, respectively.

While the opportunity to sign up for testimony at the Tuesday hearing is closed, feedback in response to TEKS can be sent at any time. After the September hearing, there will be a public comment period on the final version of the proposed TEKS. Email specific comments and recommendations and state “Health Education TEKS Review Final Recommendations Feedback” in the subject line. Please submit comments to TEA at teks@tea.texas.gov and sboesupport@tea.texas.gov. Comments can also be sent directly to any and all of the SBOE members. Their contact information can be found at this link.

As the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education recently wrote in Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education, “In the face of a continuous bombardment of messages that are ambiguous and unclear, and which end up creating emotional disorientation as well as impeding psycho-relational maturity, young people “should be helped to recognise and seek out positive influences, while shunning the things that cripple their capacity for love.”” Thanks for your advocacy for Texas children and families!