A federal judge in San Antonio issued a ruling on Wednesday temporarily halting the controversial Texas law that would require all public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. In a comprehensive, sometimes cheeky 55-page ruling first reported by The Houston Chronicle, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with several […]
Tag: education
Posted inNews
Nearly a Million Texas Students Have an Undocumented Parent. Who Will Protect Them When ICE Comes?
Eighteen-year-old Jonatan Pech sat in the passenger seat of his family’s sedan as their headlights pierced the morning darkness. His older brother, Cristian, gripped the steering wheel. The music shuffled between Houston rap to salsa and then R&B, lullabies for his sister Esme who slept in the backseat while his mom, Teresa, looked out the […]
Posted inNews
Texas House OK’s School Voucher Bill — the Rest of Y’all Better Pay Attention
The Texas House of Representatives gave initial approval of Senate Bill 2 around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, with an 85-63 vote, largely along party lines. What does that mean? Texas is on its way to one of the country’s largest tax-payer funded school voucher programs, a first for the state. “For the first time in […]
Posted inOpinion
Take from the Poor, Give to the Rich: Why School Vouchers Are a Scam
Ah, school vouchers. They’re like a coupon for 30% off, but only if the discount is covered by swiping your neighbor’s wallet. Texas is back at it again, folks. Last month, our state senate passed Senate Bill 2, which proposes giving families $10,000 in public funds per year, per student, through what Gov. Greg Abbott […]
Posted inTexana
An Ode to an Ode: Memories of the Texas Pledge
We all grew up pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands… you know the rest. But here in Texas, we go one step further and recite our own pledge, which routinely surprises outsiders. “Did you know that the Lone Star State has its […]
Posted inPolitics
Inside the Battle to Keep Religion Out of Texas Schools
Every few months, as dependable as the scorching Texas heat or as dastardly as the Christmas Grinch, the Freedom from Religion Foundation sends out some small news blip, an outmatched David’s shot across the bow in the Goliathan battle against religion in Texas classrooms. Last month, it took the form of a successful effort to […]
Posted inNews
Homeless Texas Teacher Goes Viral After Starting a GoFundMe
In the dystopian hellscape that is public education funding in Texas, add “homeless teachers” to our long list of horrors that we’ve accepted for tax cuts. One such Texas teacher has attracted national attention after he resorted to crowdfunding to pay his bills. Bill Atkinson, who describes himself as a fourth-year educator in Austin, wrote […]