Good morning!

Public schools went from claiming critical race theory didn’t exist to now requiring teachers be trained in it.

You’ll find more on that, and the results from yesterday’s reader survey, in today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 

Texas GOP Intensifies Efforts to Ban Democrat Committee Chairmanships

• The Republican Party of Texas is amplifying efforts to end the practice of awarding Democrats leadership positions in the Republican-led state legislature. Soli Rice has the details.
      
• Despite the Republican majority, Republicans don’t have total control over the fate of legislation. Republican activists want this practice to end.
      
• Last year, State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) pushed a proposal that would prevent Democrats from receiving committee chairmanships. This proposal was killed as soon as it was presented to the House, leading Slaton to say, “Republicans are more upset about this than Democrats.”
      
• In March of this year, more than 80 percent of Republican voters supported a ballot proposition asking voters if the practice should be ended.
      
• Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi has also been vocal on the issue, saying at the recent Texas GOP convention, “We need to take the fight directly to the left and go on offense.”
      
• Republican lawmakers are not so receptive. Current Speaker of the House Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) has continued defending his practice of giving committee chairmanships to Democrats. He refuses to acknowledge that those chairmen have shut down conservative priorities.
       
• In other news, bank robbers don’t think banks need to lock their doors.

POLL: Republican Mealer Leading in Harris County Judge Race

• A new poll released by Defend Texas Liberty PAC finds Republican candidate Alex Mealer with a four-point lead over Democrat incumbent Lina Hidalgo in the contentious race for Harris County Judge. Brandon Waltens has the story.
      
• Among the top issues defining the race in the state’s most populous county have been Hidalgo’s efforts on so-called “bail reform,” which have led to dangerous criminals being released into the streets. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they believed the reform was leading to higher crime, while only 19 percent disagreed.
      
• Mealer has made the issue of public safety a centerpiece of her campaign, highlighting that Harris County’s total crime is up by 132 percent, with violent crime 224 percent above the national average.
      
• The same poll also shows O’Rourke with a two-point lead over Abbott in Harris County, 48 percent to 46 percent.

School District’s Teacher Training Pushes Critical Race Theory

• While some Texas school districts are moving away from teaching radical gender ideologies and divisive racial policies, Katy Drollinger reports the Fort Worth Independent School District is requiring teachers to undergo training focused on gender, race, and class.

         
• Earlier this week, a FWISD teacher leaked screenshots to grassroots activist Carlos Turcios showing details of several FLEX program courses, highlighting the district’s continued use of critical race theory (CRT) materials. For example, a course for pre-kindergarten teachers was entitled “Anti-Bias Education.” It promised to educate early elementary school teachers in recognizing the biases of their students, who typically range from ages 4 to 5.
       
• “The exposed information that the whistleblower gave to us shows just how far woke politics has been embedded in FWISD,” said Turcios. “The ISD, frankly, is just a system that creates social justice teachers. The Texas Legislature should take bold moves to punish ISDs with social justice as a framework for training. Our work in FWISD will continue until the indoctrination of students is defeated and removed.”

🔊 Enemies Of Free And Fair Elections

• Check out Chris Salcedo’s conversation with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as they discuss the unfortunate reality that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is stocked with “Republican” judges who weakened election security.
         
• The Salcedo Storm is available at Texas Scorecard and everywhere you get podcasts!

🎟 Who Will Earn A Sword?

• Tickets are on sale now – and with early-bird discounting! – for the grassroots event of the year. The Conservative Leader Awards dinner is where the true leaders of Texas are recognized and honored.
         
• Other groups hand out baubles and plaques to elected officials; we present engraved cavalry swords to citizen leaders who have been nominated by their peers. Check out the list of previous honorees.
         
• Join us on Dec. 3, 2022, in Irving. Get more details, and tickets, on our event page.

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Y’All Answered

Public schools have been caught directing students to “educational” programs training them on gay sex techniques. In yesterday’s One Click Survey, we asked if public schools offering students “queer sex” training resources should have their funding removed from the state.

Readers responded overwhelmingly (97.84 percent) that they would prefer to see those schools lose state funding, while 2.16 percent believe such instruction to be important for students.

Here’s a sampling of responses from my inbox…

• “I taught public school for 20 years. Queer sex has no place in basic school curriculum. Let the ‘parents’ teach their young children and teens about alternative lifestyles if they want.” – Dawn Gerstenberger
      

• “I teach the histories in a public school in West Texas. Education has lost its way.  It's focus should be about reading, writing and arithmetic, as we prepare kids for public life as active adults in our political process. Education, to paraphrase MLK Jr, is about teaching character. It is teaching how to think, not what to think. We need to regain our focus.” – Greg Reinhart
       

• “I can’t believe we even have to vote on this topic. What is wrong with America?” – Kim Moore
      

• “The downfall of our education system can be traced to 1962 when the liberal Supreme Court removed prayer, and when God was removed in 1963. The purpose of our education system is to prepare children for their adult lives, enabling them to become productive members of society, not promoting the LBGT agenda.” – Owen Schierenbeck
      

• “Teens will soon enough figure out if they are gay or not.  Any gay person knows that about themselves at an early age. This ‘training’ is totally inappropriate and unnecessary.” – Mary Carpenter
      

• “I suppose I’m out of touch, not ever having a child in a public school, but since when did sex education go past biological reproduction to how to be queer? That’s a pretty good leap. Hell yes, cut them off. Fire a few, too, while you’re at it. And then give us CHOICE in education and let’s end this insanity.” – Robert Bruce
      

• “Democrats are actively pushing porn on the kids. Republicans do not seem to want to stop it. If we do not protect the kids innocence who will?” – Dottie Barnes
      

• “The only way to hit back at schools is through their pocketbook.” – Jim Andrade
      

• “Math, reading, science, social studies, and English; until those are at or above standards, nothing else should be a concern for educators.” – Connie Doolin
      

• “The more I find out about what's going on in public schools these days, the gladder I become that we decided to homeschool our kids. But I'm still upset that my tax dollars are helping to pay for this terrible indoctrination that is happening in Texas public schools. It needs to stop.” – David Demaree
      

• “Taking the money away is one thing. Prosecution and incarceration of the individuals involved would be a better thing.” – Tobie Hall
      

• “It is neither the job nor the purview of ANY school, especially those funded by taxpayers, to offer or teach deviant, or ‘queer sex’ related courses. Instead, they should focus on teaching the science of biology that clearly proves there are only two genders - male and female.” – Charles McCord
       

• “By all means, cut their funding and prosecute for child abuse and/or endangerment. You have to give the woke folk credit; they know our young are impressionable, and if you tell them what to think instead of educating them, pretty soon there won’t be any normal conservatives left to oppose them.” – Garry Ludwig 
      

• “Yes, remove the funding, then send the funding to each student’s school of choice. The only thing that will fix America’s public education system is competition. It will also take the power away from the out-of-control teachers unions.” – Steve Crevier
      

• “Absolutely inexcusable that schools are teaching queer sex. Yes…Cut off funding! In the meantime get your child OUT of the public school system. Find a way and just do it.” – Nancy Wood
      

• “Shall we fund trade schools that teach the acts of rape, incest, and molestation? How about funding to teach murder, robbery, burglery, and arson? Fund them?! Hell, we need to lock them up!” – Reid Davidson
      

• “Are we really at this point where we even have to ask such a question? May God open our eyes to see what is truly taking place in our State and Country!” – Nancy Wells
      

• “Not only should funding be stripped from school districts that teach ‘queer sex,’ any teacher who engages in teaching of this should lose their license to teach in the state of Texas.” – Randy Kimpfbeck
       

• “Any teacher/school administrator that advocates for ‘queer sex’ should be fired.” – Gary Hunt
      

• “God's Word says, ‘All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.’ I don't think the Lord would teach anything about gay or queer sex.” – Ray Holloway

Your Federal & State Lawmakers

The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.