Restrictions against Critical Race Theory hinders Austin teachers

A Texas law limiting race-related discussions in classrooms went into effect on Sept. 1, but its vagueness has left social studies teachers in Austin schools uncertain about the future.

House Bill 3979 seeks to eliminate critical race theory concepts in grades K-12 classes. Critical race theory is an academic concept developed in the 1970s with the core idea that race
is a social construct and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice but also something embedded in legal systems and policies, according to the American Bar
Association.

The Austin Independent School District opposed HB 3979 in a press conference on May10. Critical race theory has never been a part of Texas’ social studies curriculum, said Lynn Boswell, a member of the Austin ISD school board.

Curriculum writers in AISD have already started to feel the pressure of the new law as they have been having difficulty finding appropriate resources that would not break it. Certain topics, such as Native American history, are not as well documented in terms of providing opposing viewpoints as dictated by the new law, Boswell said.

The law attacks diversity and inclusivity in Texas classrooms by narrowing the focus of American history into a more Eurocentric framework, said Rosalinda Rodriguez, an ethnic studies teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School.

“There hasn't been a huge display of appreciation for diverse narratives and histories in the classroom in Texas,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez developed Austin’s ethnic studies curriculum without any involvement from the school board or administration. The course does not use textbooks but instead utilizes primary sources alongside current event topics, making it a potential target of the new legislation that specifically discourages Texas students from discussing current events or controversial public policy issues.

“(This legislation is) not allowing me to determine what it is that my students need,” said a social studies teacher in AISD who asked to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns. “(It’s) telling me, ‘This is what you're going to do because I don't trust you to make the right decision.’”

The Austin district’s student population is 55% Hispanic and 30.1% white, with other ethnicities making up the rest. LBJ has a 63.1% Hispanic population and a 33.4% Black population.

“One hundred percent of my classes are students of color, and they want to learn more,” Rodriguez said. “The kids are just genuinely interested because a lot of what we discussed
they've experienced, or they've seen it growing up in their communities at school.”

The vague wording of the bill includes repercussions for teachers who “consciously or unconsciously” teach critical race theory concepts. After the bill’s passing, the Austin district voiced support for adhering to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards when creating its curriculum and has compiled its own list of social studies topics, Boswell said.

“With any law that's vague, you run the risk of chilling people's speech (and) actions and people going further than is necessary,” Boswell said. “Part of what our public schools do is
teach us how to be part of our country, how to live together and govern together and have a shared understanding of who we are.”

The bill also threatens to ban districts from receiving private funding for opportunities like social studies curriculum development, course materials and teacher training.

Houston-area Republican Rep. Steve Toth said he wrote the law to find new ways of teaching complex subjects like slavery and racism without making white children feel guilty.

Teachers such as Rodriguez disagree with this idea and say the goal in their current curriculum is to teach historical facts.

The unnamed social studies teacher said that the distrust regarding the education system has spread to the student body as well.

“I had a student come up to me one time and say, ‘Do you ever lie to us about what happened in history? And I'm like, ‘No, why would I?’” the social studies teacher said. “But I realized that there might be some teachers that would (lie) for various reasons.”

In June, Austin teachers could attend the voluntary “Teaching for Equity and Justice Summit,” which provided tools for supporting student identity and fostering equity in classrooms. The summit presented videos explaining oppression, but not all teachers had a positive reaction to this, Rodriguez said.

“(A teacher at Austin High School) said that she couldn't show (those videos) in the classroom because of the legislation,” Rodriguez said. “She thinks that parents would be on the
defense thinking that's actually illegal.”

In contrast to LBJ, Austin High School has a 54% white population, a 35.3% Hispanic population and only 3.7% Black population.

AISD recognized its racist past in an Equity Action Plan commissioned this year by Dr. Stephanie Hawley, AISD’s chief equity officer, discussing its disproportionate disciplinary actions
taken against minority students. These issues are being worked through in developing equity frameworks, Boswell said.

“It's like smog that you are existing in all the time,” Rodriguez said. “We don't always see (racism) like we don't see the actual smog.”

This article was submitted as an assignment for the Reporting Words course at the University of Texas at Austin taught by professor Emily Quigley.