Texas Republicans are absolutely dead set on undermining public education in any way possible, with the latest assault being akin to a Faux News line of intentional disinformation
If you have a child in Texas public schools you received a really important email this week asking you to opt-in to a wide array of services. Frankly, it seems unconscionable that it would be necessary to have to opt-in to things that are standard practice and vital to the well-being of kids, but thanks to Texas Senate Bill 12, which went into effect on September 1st, this is something we now have to do. Let’s take a quick look at just a few of the key provisions and why they are important.
Health Care
Let’s say your child is injured in some way during the school day. They might be taking part in a science lab, practicing for a team sport and dance class or even just walking down the crowded hallways and they need immediate first aid. I spent quite a few years of my professional life working for Garland ISD, often with fragile student populations, and nurses like Nurse Becky Cherry at Lakeview Centennial High School (now retired) and Nurse Chris Keltner at Sachse High School have been crucial to the success of my students. My own daughter has also been the beneficiary of outstanding caring and compassionate medical attention at Garland ISD schools from people like Nurse Annie Tabler at The Classical Center at Brandenburg Middle School. The nurses in the clinics are no longer allowed to do so much as provide a Band-Aid without this new consent form.
School Counseling
I am one of the most involved parents you will ever find, not to the extent of a helicopter dad, but I have arranged my professional life in such a way that I can always be there for my 9th grade daughter. I have gone out of my way to make sure she knows she can talk to me about absolutely anything if she’s honest about the situation. I also recognize that there are times when kids are more comfortable talking to a school counselor about some situations. A good school counselor – and Garland ISD has many – knows the kids, knows the teachers and can help mediate issues that arise during the school year. I will even call out Suzanne Battles, a counselor at Brandenburg, for being an outstanding school counselor who was there for my daughter throughout middle school. Parents need caring partners in the process of raising their kids, and in many ways counselors serve as extensions of the parents on campus. If you don’t opt in to this latest requirement, those skilled professionals won’t be able to talk to your kids about anything.
Meaningless Provisions
There are also a number of seemingly controversial, yet actually meaningless provisions built into this Bill that seem to be aimed at discouraging parents from opting in. For example, there are zero classes in which students receive “instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity,” as identified in the legislation. I don’t think any parent is particularly interested in schools giving this kind of guidance to students, and in my many years in education I have never encountered such. On the other hand, the Bill also stipulates that students can’t choose to take Gifted and Talented classes or receive Special Education services without parental consent. That’s a redundant provision, as parents already must give consent and even participate in school meetings for their kids to participate in these programs. Also included is health education instruction, and frankly I can’t imagine any lesson being taught in English, Math or Science which could possibly be as vitally important as learning about staying healthy. Besides, parents already have to sign a consent form for this independent of this new form. I signed my daughter’s before school even started. Finally, the Bill throws in language about “vaccines,” as if this is a function of school nurses. It absolutely is not. This is all just a mis-information assault on parents and children in an ongoing war against public schools on behalf of large corporate donors involved in the private school industry.
State Bill 12 seems to be more about taking away some of the freedoms students enjoy as they start to explore their identities independent of their parents than it is about keeping parents informed or keeping students “safe.” If you think it might be OK for a trained professional to apply first aid or talk to your kid about something that’s bothering them at school, time is of the essence. You have to log in to Skyward and sign the consent form before the close of business on Friday September 5th or all of those services will be denied this school year.
A version of this article is also running in The Garland Gazette, for which Bill is a contributing writer: https://garlandgazette.news/opting-in-for-garland-students/
Ishmael's Legacy 