Free speech coalition defends Wylie ISD assignment comparing police to slave owners
Despite outcry from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and parents, a national free speech organization has called for Wylie ISD to reinstate an assignment that included a political cartoon that compared police officers to slave owners and KKK members.
In an Aug. 26 letter, the National Coalition Against Censorship wrote to Wylie ISD Superintendent David Vinson, saying the organization wants the assignment to be given back to students, citing that the Supreme Court ruled “the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”
“The district’s actions create a dangerous precedent, putting teachers on notice that they cannot present any material that might be offensive to someone in the community,” the letter states.
The assignment, which officials with the public school district say was unauthorized, showed a five-panel cartoon that started with a slave ship officer with his knee on a Black man’s neck and ended with a police officer with his knee on a Black man’s neck while he said, “I can’t breathe.”
Then students had essay questions to answer about democracy and what role protests have in one. Students could also have chosen another cartoon to analyze, which shows a man rejecting wearing a face-covering during the coronavirus pandemic while saying, “I don’t have to wear a mask. I am a free American. I can do what I want.”
School officials took the assignment down following backlash on social media. The district was conducting its own investigation until Abbott tweeted on Sunday calling for the assigning teacher to be fired and the Texas Education Agency to conduct its own investigation. Ian Halperin, Wylie Independent School District spokesperson, told the Star-Telegram on Friday that the TEA has taken over the investigation and the district has no comment on the letter yet. The TEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Joe Gamaldi, vice president of the National Fraternal Order of Police, previously sent a letter to Superintendent Vinson saying that the assignment was “abhorrent and disturbing.” The district later issued an apology, Gamaldi said.
Chris Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, told the Star-Telegram that while the cartoon is controversial, it’s important that students have discussion on what the country is experiencing right now with the Black Lives Matter movement and the relationship between Black people and the police.
Finan believes Abbott’s reaction will have a ripple effect on Texas teachers and what they assign going forward. “We’d like the governor not to threaten teachers with being fired,” he said.
While many see the cartoon as an attack on police officers, Finan said he sees it as a cartoon about American history and how violence against Black people has persisted.
Finan said both Abbott’s tweet and the district’s decision to take down the assignment are examples of censorship and a denial of freedom. It also denies students the chance to debate ideas, which is one of the staples of American democracy, he said.
“They’re the next generation of voters. They’ve got to be able to have the tools that they need to grapple with difficult problems,” Finan said.
Halperin told the Star-Telegram on Aug. 20 that the assignment was given to Cooper Junior High eighth-grade social studies students as part of Celebrate Freedom Week, where students learned about the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
In an email dated Aug. 20, Cooper Junior High Principal Shawn Miller told parents that the assignment aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards. The assignment was to determine if the rights detailed in the Bill of Rights — including the First Amendment rights of protest and free speech — are still as important or impactful now.
Miller’s email also indicated more than one teacher was involved in the assignment. School district officials haven’t publicly released the names of the teachers who distributed the assignments.
“The teachers wanted to provide the students with current events to analyze the Bill of Rights,” Miller wrote.
