Bill to teach Texas kids the dangers of communism — but not fascism — OK'd by House
The Texas House voted 112-20 on Wednesday to preliminarily approve a bill requiring public schools to teach the dangers of communism.
But the most robust debate centered around what the bill didn't include — teachings on the harms of fascism and Nazism.
'Ignoring one side of the spectrum while scrutinizing another creates an incomplete and potentially misleading historical education,' said state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, one of several Democrats who unsuccessfully sought to amend Senate Bill 24.
SB 24 would require the State Board of Education to adopt standards for social studies curriculum for fourth through 12th grade. That instruction must include information on 'atrocities attributable to communist regimes' and contrast communism with 'the United States' founding principles of individual rights, merit-based achievement and free enterprise,' according to the bill.
Goodwin said teaching students how fascism sows distrust and discredits Democratic institutions as well as cultivates an us-versus-them mentality will help them recognize when it occurs in the U.S.
Democrats across the nation have often compared the actions of the Trump administration and his allies as that of a fascist regime. It was for this reason that Rep. Jon E. Rosenthal, D-Houston, tried to amend the bill to require teaching about Nazism and its resurgence in Europe and the U.S. today.
'We are seeing signs of rising authoritarianism like the politicization of independent institutions, spreading of disinformation, executive power grabs. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you?' he said before voting against the bill.
Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said he opposed the proposed changes because he wanted to send SB 24 to the governor as soon as possible.
Leach carried the bill in the lower chamber. Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, authored it.
'I don't want this bill to become a Christmas tree,' Leach said. 'This is about communism alone.'
Reps. Gene Wu and Harold V. Dutton Jr., both Democrats from Houston, raised concerns that students would not be taught that throughout American history, many were falsely accused of being communists. Dutton said some, such as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., were labeled communists because they were striving to create a more perfect union.
Wu, who later voted against the bill, said it could also lead people who have fled from communist countries to be stigmatized or stereotyped.
Leach said the bill would require the State Board of Education to get input from victims of communism and would give the board time to develop the curriculum, which would roll out in the 2026-2027 school year.
'I don't disagree with the spirit and the intent of Rep. Wu's amendment. I simply do not think it's necessary,' he said.
And Leach got assistance from a Democrat.
State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo urged fellow Democrats to vote for the bill, despite their amendments failing, because of the greater good it would produce — to teach that communism is bad and to show Democrats are willing to compromise.
'If we as Democrats continue to take the bait and vote against bills like this, get ready for more. There's not going to be more of us two years from now, there's going to be fewer,' Peña Raymond.
Some Democrats, including Goodwin and Dutton, ultimately voted in favor of the measure.
Earlier this year, Rafael Cruz, a right-wing pastor and father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, testified in favor of this bill. He said public schools should be required to teach anti-communism to reaffirm that America is a Christian country.
The same day the House passed this bill, they were scheduled to consider other measures that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms and set aside time during the school day for prayer.
Texas schools are already required to hang donated 'In God We Trust' signs, allowed to replace mental health counselors with unlicensed religious chaplains and are incentivized to use curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts.
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