John,

The Texas State Board of Education today met briefly to take the final vote of a two-year process to adopt new science standards for our public schools.

The good news: The standards do a better job of addressing climate change.

Democratic members succeeded in adding some new standards for high school courses, adopted last year, that note the problem and its causes. And the eighth-grade standards adopted today explicitly note that the release of greenhouse gases influences climate.

While this is progress, and we should celebrate it, there is a catch. Board members could and should have done more. Much, much more.

Some of the progress was made in elective courses not all students will take, and not all required courses must address the issue. And last month a lawyer for Shell Oil who serves on the board led Republicans in blocking a proposal to teach students about efforts to mitigate the problem of climate change, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. That vote came as representatives of the oil and gas industry urged the board to water down what students would be taught about climate change.

The watering-down of the standards is sadly another example of board members putting politics and corporate interests above science and truthful education. It is why TFN's advocacy at the SBOE, and your support, is critical.

Board members won't revisit science standards for several more years. But what they will do in the coming year is revise social studies standards. With far-right politicians in Texas and across the country scaring parents about how the history of racism and inequality is taught, we will likely see another censorship campaign come to the SBOE.

TFN will be at SBOE again next year, of course. We will keep you updated on our campaign to #TeachTheTruth. 

In the fight,

Carisa Lopez (she/her)
TFN Political Director