Abbott is trying to turn public schools into right-wing indoctrination factories
Gov. Greg Abbott has frequently made the point that public schools “are for education – not indoctrination.” He is correct, but he doesn’t believe what he says any more than he believes the moon is made of cheese. What Abbott really believes is that public schools should be forced to participate in selective indoctrination, the kind of indoctrination that promotes his political career and undermines the truthful, unbiased education that children really need.
Abbott is all in on promoting the Trump world view that panders to racism, bias and fear; denies the reality of climate change; sanitizes history; and promotes authoritarianism and the myth of Christian nationalism. Increasingly, he and his legislative allies are using Texas’ public schools to indoctrinate students with this partisan, right-wing ideology.
Abbott has encouraged school districts to ban books about the LGBTQ+ community and signed a law forbidding instruction about diversity, equity and inclusion and banning DEI clubs in schools. He also has signed laws restricting what educators can teach about slavery and race relations and requiring school districts to post copies of the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.
The governor claims that teaching about DEI or promoting DEI programs is “indoctrination.” It is not. It recognizes the fact that Texas is a multicultural society and that every child – regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identify – should be welcome in our public schools.
Now, Abbott has joined Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to launch a campaign to create chapters of the right-wing organization Turning Point USA on every high school campus in Texas. These chapters are called Club Americas. Patrick has pledged $1 million of his own campaign funds to pay for them.
Turning Point USA was founded by the late Charlie Kirk, who was praised by conservatives as a champion of free speech. But many Americans – including some people of color, non-Christians and LGBTQ+ individuals – fear attack by the organization if they open their mouths.
Turning Point already operates on many college campuses, where students are older and better prepared to form their political views. Now, the organization is expanding into high schools, where it hopes its Club America chapters can build conservative networks and help students register to vote.
It is not clear if Abbott plans to force school districts to create the conservative clubs, but he said he expects “meaningful disciplinary action” against any school that tries to prevent the formation of a Club America.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremism, says Turning Point’s “primary strategy is sowing and exploiting fear that white Christian supremacy is under attack by nefarious actors, including immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights activists.”
What if the Southern Poverty Law Center or the American Civil Liberties Union were to try to establish student chapters in Texas high schools? Abbott would scream, of course, about political “indoctrination.”
Texas launches plan to open Talking Point USA chapters in every high school
