Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers about the Texas GOP's plans to close the 2026 primary. Today, you'll see what folks had to say.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

A&M System Joins State Universities in Other Republican-led States to Form New Accreditation Agency

• A new accreditation agency is being formed to serve as a counterbalance to left-wing ideological capture of higher education. Adam Cahn has the details.
     
• Accreditation is a process where an outside entity evaluates a college or university to determine if it meets certain standards. Typically, these standards relate to programs, faculty, and resources. This process has become increasingly controversial in recent years, as accreditation agencies have become vehicles through which left-wing programs are imposed on universities.
     
• In response, Texas A&M is joining the university systems of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina to launch the Commission for Public Higher Education.
          
• Incoming Texas A&M Chancellor Glenn Hegar called the new agency “an alliance of some of the nation’s top university systems to provide a new, less cumbersome and more objective option for accreditation.”

New Texas Laws Protect Parental Rights

• Legislation passed this year in Texas imposes new checks on the powers of Child Protective Services and will strengthen parental rights. McKael Kirwin examines the issue. 
       
• Although the Texas Family Code explicitly ensures that parents have the right to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children as well as the duty to support their children with medical care, those rights have sometimes been curtailed by state agencies.
      
• One new law will enable parents to refuse certain treatments for their children without it being considered statutory medical neglect or abuse. This comes in response to parents' run-ins with doctors and medical professionals who involved or threatened to involve Child Protective Services because of legitimate disagreements regarding certain medical treatments for their children.
      
• Another law allows parents to not "affirm" their children’s expressed sexual orientation or gender identity without fear of being considered abusive or neglectful by state authorities.
       
• “If I tell my child there’s two sexes, that can’t be used against me in a court of law. A judge cannot look upon me and say it’s abuse if I told my child that there are two sexes: male and female.” – State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R–Plano)

Taxpayer-Sponsored LGBT Parade Featured Sexualized Performances Near Children

• Despite promotional claims of being “family-friendly,” the Houston Pride Festival and Parade over the weekend included open drug use and sexualized displays—all occurring in shared public spaces where children were present. Joseph Trimmer documented the event in real time.
      
• Uniformed Houston Police Department officers participated in the parade and were filmed waving an LGBT flag featuring support for “transgender” individuals from a police vehicle, an action that drew significant online criticism.
     
• Meanwhile, children were encouraged to play at a foam party near City Hall during the festival, under the watchful eye of LGBTQ activists. (Admission to the event was free for children 12 and under.)
       
• Among other highlights, a grown man wearing only a diaper walked through the festival grounds near children, while a parade featured men in Speedos, leather harnesses, and dog masks.
      
• Family friendly?!

Elementary Teacher Indicted for Sexual Contact With Students

• Erin Anderson reports that an elementary teacher in Allen Independent School District has been charged with multiple child sex crimes involving students.
     
• Austin Douglas White taught at Allen's Preston Elementary School at the time of his arrest. At least one alleged victim was a student at one of the district's middle schools. White was placed on "indefinite administrative leave." He is no longer employed by Allen ISD.
     
• A Collin County grand jury indicted White on four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Amid Budget Shortfalls, Austin ISD Considers School Consolidation

• Several schools in the Austin Independent School District could be merged to reduce costs, reports Luca Cacciatore.
     
• During a recent board of trustees meeting, district officials weighed community concerns with the economic benefits of consolidating schools in the face of a $110 million budget deficit.
     
• In addition to school consolidations, Austin ISD is also implementing spending cuts to attempt to reduce the deficit.

Quote-Unquote

"If you go to Gettysburg and take the time, maybe take a tour, maybe just drive around, read some of the monuments, read some of the plaques, you will come away changed."

– Jeff Shaara​

Y'All Answered

The Republican Party of Texas has announced it is moving forward with "closing" the 2026 primary. This would mean only those individuals who register as Republican ahead of the March election would be allowed to vote in the GOP nominating contest.

Yesterday, we asked readers if they want the GOP to close its primary. Nearly 94 percent of readers want the GOP primary to be "closed," while 6.1 percent do not.

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say.

• “Would you allow a vegan to order your meal at a steakhouse?” – Arthur Potter
      

• “I cannot see how open primaries, anywhere, do anything major except massively violate the First Amendment right to freedom of association.” – Mike Smith
      

• “No. Eliminating straight-ticket voting didn’t help either. We need to energize Republican voters with candidates they’re excited to support—recycling the same RINOs isn’t working.” – Melissa Rowell 
      

• “In what kind of world could anyone approve of those from the opposition party selecting YOUR candidate? Seriously, why was this EVER allowed to begin with?” – Michael Sisley
      

• “Republicans’ choice to close the primary disenfranchises the nearly 50% who choose not to identify with a single party—those of us who vote issues and/or character versus party.” – Tess Ailshire
      

• “Open primaries are how we continue to get RINOs like Cornyn and Phelan!” – Carla Trussell
      

• “Texas is in a heap of a mess due to Democrats being able to have a vote in choosing their own opposition!  Anyone with half a wit would realize this is like putting the fox in the hen house!” – Deb Hillis 
      

• “Will closing the primary really change anything? Those who want to game the system just need to take an extra step now to do so.” – Randall Woodman
      

• “As far as closing for the primary, yes, with a caveat. The closure should be no sooner than the date to register to vote, or within two weeks of the primary, whichever comes first.” – Lani Wilson
       

• “Close the primary! Letting the Democrats choose our representatives is not good for the RPT and not good for Texans.  Open primaries are the reason we cannot get rid of Dade Felon.” – Jim Moyer
      

• “Allowing Democrats to vote in our primaries corrupts our intentions.” – Merryl Redding
      

• “Our GOP primaries should have been closed a long time ago. It most certainly would have prevented some of the Rinos from getting elected.” – Steve Tafoya
      

• “Why would we not? What is the logic behind having anyone other than Republicans choose the Republican candidate and same for the Democrats?” – Rhonda Joyner 
      

• “Closing the primary is a necessary step to prevent Democrats and the uninformed from choosing the party’s candidates. It may not be sufficient, since people will lie. A caucus or choosing candidates at convention might be more effective.” – Scott Jones
      

• “Democrats vote in RINOs, and RINOs destroy our conservative values. Save our state and close the gate!” – Barbara McClure
     

• “The Democrats love open GOP primaries for the same reason they love open borders. It affords them a useful tool to lie and cheat their way to election victories. They will vote, in our primaries, for the un-electable or a RINO. Either way they win. Close the primaries.” – Dennis Hauze

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