Protecting Students From Gender Ideology

In communities across our state, Texas parents are finally seeing lawmakers and educators step up to defend what families value most: a safe, focused, and age-appropriate education for our children. From the passage of Texas Senate Bill 12 (SB 12) to new curriculum policies at public universities, Texas is drawing sensible boundaries that respect parents, protect children, and return education to its core mission. 

For too long, ideological experiments that confuse basic truths about sex and gender have made their way into classrooms, often disguised as “inclusive” curriculum or controversial academic theory. Laws like SB 12, signed by Governor Greg Abbott and now in effect, make clear that instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity has no place in K-12 classrooms. Under this law, schools are prohibited from teaching gender ideology as part of core instruction, and student clubs based on these identities are no longer school-sponsored. 

This is exactly the kind of parental empowerment law Texans have been calling for. Parents know better than bureaucrats what is appropriate for their children’s minds and hearts. SB 12 sends a simple message: classrooms should be for teaching reading, writing, math, science, and history, not pushing social agendas. 

Common-Sense Policies in Higher Education

Public universities must also respect educational boundaries. The Texas A&M University System’s board of regents recently adopted a policy requiring campus presidents to approve courses that might advocate race or gender ideology or address topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity, especially in core classes where all students are required to take them. 

Woke news outlets have painted this as “censorship.” Responsible governance is not censorship; it is protecting students from political advocacy masquerading as scholarship. As Regent Sam Torn aptly noted, the goal is to “make sure we are educating and not advocating.” 

This policy helps ensure university classrooms remain places for intellectual discovery, not ideological indoctrination. Academic freedom is valuable, but it should not be weaponized to impose activist viewpoints on students under the guise of curriculum.

Putting Families First

These reforms reflect a broader consensus among Texas families that schools should respect biological realities and parental authority. By shielding children from gender ideology in extracurricular programming, Texas affirms that parents, not the government, are the primary educators of their own children.

For decades, too many schools have drifted away from teaching foundational knowledge toward promoting divisive and unnecessary social theories.

In the end, these laws and policies reflect the values of hardworking Texas families who want schools to educate, not indoctrinate. They represent a return to common sense, respect for parental rights, and a focus on the timeless goal of schooling: preparing children for success in life with knowledge, confidence, and clarity.