Texas Senator Files 'Parental Bill of Rights' to Extend State's DEI Ban in Public Schools

Texas Sen. Brandon Ceighton, who represents the state's Senate District 4 since 2014, filed a legislation on Feb. 24 that would extend Texas' ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on all K-12 public schools.

The proposed bills suggest school districts that fail to comply with the DEI ban could lose out on funding although neither Senate Bill 12 nor Senate Bill 1565 specified how that would be enforced.

As reported by the Texas Tribune, SB 12 would make it illegal for Texas school district to factor in diversity, equity and inclusion during hiring processes and employment decisions. On top of that, Creighton's "Parental Bill of Rights" would prevent schools from developing any policies, programs or trainings that reference race, gender identity, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

The legislation proposed would also required districts to create policies to discipline employees who engage in or assign DEI-related tasks and it would ban classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The other part of the legislation, SB 1565, would give parents the authority to submit complaints to principals about alleged DEI violations and require school officials to offer parents explanations of their response to the complaint.

This is not the first time lawmakers in Texas have pushed legislation to ban or restrict DEI practices. In 2023, Texas passed a law banning diversity officers, programs and training at publicly-funded universities. As a result, employees that worked in multicultural centers and DEI offices across the state's universities were laid off. As a result of Senate Bill 17, the University of Texas at Austin laid off around 50 employees in DEI programs.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been a vocal critic of DEI programs and has asked in the past for lawmakers to ensure that "no taxpayer dollars be used to fund DEI" in K-12 public education.

During his appearance at the State of the State address earlier this month, Abbott said that "schools must not push woke agendas on our kids," adding that "schools are for education, not indoctrination."

Although Creighton's legislations count with the support of Gov. Abbott and other Republican lawmakers, they still need to be approved. The Senate Education Committee wil hold a public hearing for both bills on Feb. 27.