Texas lawmakers made big headlines when they passed an Education Savings Account bill — often called either “vouchers” or “school choice” — and sent it along to Gov. Greg Abbott last week.
But that is far from the only bill related to public schools on the table this session. The House Public Education committee is slated to hold a number of hearings on other pieces of legislation this week.
Andrew Schneider, who covers politics for our partners at Houston Public Media, said among them is Senate Bill 10.
“It would require every public school classroom in the state to display a copy of the Ten Commandments using the exact same wording as on the monument outside the state capitol,” he said.
“This is significant because it’s an explicitly Protestant version of the Ten Commandments based on the King James Bible… If the House Public Education Committee approves it, it’ll go to the full House for a vote.”
Schneider said the issue is contentious and the bill passed the Senate on party-line vote.
“The proponents are arguing it’s necessary both as a matter of historical instruction and as a tool of moral education,” he said. “They claim that a recent Supreme Court ruling undid a longstanding precedent that would have barred the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and several Republican lawmakers stated they believe it’s needed because they claim a wide range of societal problems are directly attributable to them not being on display.”
If passed, this bill would likely face challenges in court, Schneider said.
Another education-related bill on the schedule this week is House Bill 54 — otherwise known as the FURRIES Act.
“It stands for Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education. It would codify rules against students barking, hissing, licking, or meowing in schools,” Schneider said.
“And it says that the nonhuman behavior cited in the bill would ban students from wearing tails, leashes, or fur, unless it’s Halloween or another approved holiday where costumes are expected.”
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Schneider said this bill was filed in response to widely debunked claims that students in public schools were “identifying as animals” or being permitted to exhibit animal-like behavior in class.
“I believe it came up on the Joe Rogan podcast, but it was something that was taken up by Gov. Abbott,” Schneider said. “He actually addressed a group of Baptist ministers saying that he was supporting the bill.
He said if you have a child in a public school, you have one expectation that your child is gonna be learning the fundamentals of education. If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to the school of their choice. So there’s a tie-in here to school vouchers.”
Beyond education, Schneider said he is watching bills related to restrictions on hemp products this week.
“The bills that I’m watching most intently are SB 3 and HB 28,” he said. “These are the bills that would ban the sale of most or all consumable hemp products containing THC. SB3 is one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top priorities for the session.
Both bills had lengthy hearings before the House State Affairs Committee, but they still haven’t come up for committee votes.”
