A conservative group is launching a Parent Empowerment Tour in April, prior to Texas’ May school board elections.
In a statement released by Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), the group said the tour would provide essential information about the nature of Critical Race Theory (CRT), a flashpoint in Texas education policies.
The tour runs from April 20–28 and will also feature political candidates for Texas House and Senate seats.
The Texas House has been an obstacle to passing legislation supported by the more conservative Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in March.
Critical Race Theory has come under fire across the nation from conservative parent groups, state legislators, and the country’s highest elected officials.
In 2020, then-president Donald Trump restricted federal employees from using any training that includes CRT or “white privilege,” identifying the idea as a type of propaganda.
Texas’ Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3979 in June of 2021, outlining how the state’s public school teachers may approach current events and America’s history of racism in the classroom.
Abbott’s signature made Texas one of the first states in the nation to pass legislation restricting the teaching of CRT in K-12 public school classrooms.
The Texas Bill reads, in part;
“No teacher, administrator, or other employee in any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter school, or school administration shall require, or make part of a course the following concepts;
“That one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
“That an individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex or that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
“That any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex, or that meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by members of a particular race to oppress members of another race.”
The TPPF, whose motto is “Freedom, Prosperity, and Opportunity,” said in a news release that it will also supply information on school choice to remove Texas’ legislative “barriers that limit where parents can choose to send their kids to school.”
The free tour, running through four Texas cities, features speakers from the foundation, along with various political candidates for political offices, such as Laura Hill and Nate Schatzline who are both running to represent House districts in north Texas.
Hill and Schatzline will speak at the April 20 lunchtime event, in Trophy Club, Texas.
Hill is a former mayor of Southlake, Texas, which has a population of 32,000 and is a suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Schatzline, a former pastor, is the founder of For Liberty and Justice “an organization dedicated to mobilizing the local church to see reformation in government,” according to his campaign website.
He is also the director of operations for The Justice Reform, described as an “anti-trafficking” organization based in Fort Worth.
On her campaign website, Hill wrote, “As a former mayor, I have first-hand experience fighting back against the Critical Race Theory agenda that pits neighbor against neighbor, divides where no division exists, and poisons thought rather than teaches shared human values.
“The American Dream is open and accessible to all who are willing to work hard. That starts with investing in a great education for our students, keeping politicized curriculums out of the classroom, and ensuring our schools stay open for in-person learning.”
The tour has stops in Trophy Club, McKinney, Floresville, and north San Antonio, Texas.
