Texas GOP touts Grapevine-Colleyville’s gender, critical race theory policies in fundraiser
The Texas Republican Party is fundraising off of policies recently approved by the Grapevine-Colleyville school district related to gender identity, critical race theory and the review of library books.
The school board voted 4-3 Aug. 22 to adopt a slew of policies that would provide more oversight of library materials, limit discussion of gender identity and prohibit the teaching of critical race theory.
Days after the meeting, the Texas GOP began highlighting the district’s measures and said its working to bring “this conservative policy” to each of the state’s more than 1,000 school districts.
“Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is the ONLY school district in the state that has passed a policy relating to CRT, real pronouns, bathroom access, and removing porn from libraries,” an online fundraising post reads.
“We are in a fight to save Texas students from woke propaganda in schools,” the email reads. “Securing conservative leadership at the school board level is essential to ban CRT lessons, get rid of absurd ‘gender-fluid’ pronouns, and protect young Texans from inappropriate and pornographic books. Can we count on you to contribute to the fight today?”
In a Tuesday statement, Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi said “schools should focus on teaching academics and not promoting a liberal ideology, and parents have a right to know what is being taught in the classroom.”
Asked about the state party fundraising off of the district’s policies, the Grapevine-Colleyville school district in a statement did not directly weigh in.
“While we recognize that there is an increase in conversation regarding policy, we remain focused on preparing, motivating, and encouraging all students to reach their full potential in every classroom in our school district,” the statement reads.
School districts in North Texas have been at the center of debates over the teaching of “critical race theory” — which educators say is not being taught in Texas grade schools — gender identity and the appropriateness of reading materials.
In addition to procedures related to the selection and review of library books and instructional materials, Grapevine-Colleyville’s policies include measures that designate that bathrooms and changing rooms should be used “only by persons based on the person’s biological sex.”
The policies also bar the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity to students younger than the sixth grade and prohibit the teaching of the 1619 Project and critical race theory.
The district’s policies come after Texas lawmakers passed legislation limiting how race is taught in schools and after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in November directed officials to create standards “to prevent the presence of pornography and other obscene content in Texas public schools, including in school libraries.”
Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa wasn’t surprised that the state Republican Party is fundraising off of the district’s policies.
“These are not culture wars only,” he said. “They are racist culture wars... and they’re bigoted culture wars in the sense that they’re trying to erase, you know, 300 years worth of history and create a problem that does not exist.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 1:15 PM.
