In a preliminary vote Tuesday evening, the State Board of Education rejected all but one of the proposed health instructional materials aligned with the new health and physical education TEKS that go into effect during the 2022-23 school year.

The new TEKS, which SBOE members approved last year, allow school districts to teach middle school students about other forms of birth control aside from abstinence.

The board heard hours of public testimony Tuesday outlining concerns about the proposed sex education materials, mostly centered around the belief that they did not do enough to present abstinence “as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age” as required by current law.

The board voted 7-6 to place the K-5 instructional materials from Quaver Ed on the adopted materials list because they do not teach about sexual health or human sexuality. The other publishers were asked to communicate any changes to their instructional materials that they are willing to make in response to the public testimony, and the final vote will take place Friday.

While districts are not required to purchase instructional materials on the state's adopted list, districts must ensure that the materials they use provide 100% coverage of the TEKS.

TEA is seeking educator input on potential revisions to the current social studies TEKS. Those interested in providing feedback should complete this survey by Dec. 10.

The State Board of Education's review and revision process calls for multiple work groups to make recommendations about the social studies TEKS. To learn more or to apply to serve on a work group, click here.

TEA is also seeking feedback by Dec. 10 on its proposed changes to the tests required for special education certification.

Comments on the framework may be sent to DeMarco Pitre at TEA.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) has once again filed legislation in the U.S. Congress that would revise one of the two Social Security penalties that affect many Texas school employees. HR 5834 is also known as the “Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2021.”

The vast majority of Texas school employees work in school districts that do not participate in Social Security. Many of those employees could be eligible for benefits either through their spouse or through their own employment in a job in which they did pay into Social Security. Federal law reduces Social Security benefits for employees who receive a public pension, such as TRS, that is based on work in which they did not pay into Social Security.

Bills have been filed for many congressional sessions to completely repeal the federal penalties, which are known as the Government Pension Offset (for spousal benefits) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (for the employee’s own earned benefits). Brady’s bill would replace the WEP with a revised, fairer calculation that would not eliminate the penalty but would lessen the reduction for most affected retirees. The legislation would also provide a rebate for those already receiving reduced payments under the current formula.

The bill currently has 38 cosponsors, 21 of whom are from Texas. Similar legislation by Brady received a committee hearing in 2016, but did not progress beyond that point. TCTA supported that bill, while still making clear in our testimony that our members would prefer to see a full repeal of both the WEP and the GPO.

TCTA's Representative Assembly will convene on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, on Zoom to discuss TCTA business and elect statewide officers. More details on meeting times, delegates and registration will be released soon.

Offices on the Executive Board up for election this year include:

We also are accepting nominations for Director-at-Large, to serve if needed based on statewide office and district director elections. Even-numbered districts will elect directors. Terms for new directors and board members will begin June 1, 2022. Nominations must be received by Nov. 28, 2021, for names to appear on the ballot. Nominations made from the floor will be write-in candidates. Click here for more information about qualifications for office.

Parents of seven Texas schoolchildren with disabilities filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-38 violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

They argued the executive order prohibits schools from considering mask mandates as a reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 or suffering severe illness. A district court agreed, but an appeal is expected. Click here to read more.

You're invited to join Dohn Larson and Michael Currie at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, for a 30-minute session on student discipline. They'll review the law and answer members' questions. Click here to register and submit questions.

Have questions that can't wait? Members can call our Legal Department at 888-879-8282 to discuss your situation with a staff attorney.

Dohn Larson, TCTA's director of legal services, and staff attorneys Michael Currie, Gerald Francisco and Julie Leahy explained the grievance process during our Spotlight session on Tuesday night. You can watch the replay now at tcta.org/spotlight.

This week, the U.S. Department of Education started canceling the federal student loans of borrowers who have qualified under the temporary expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The department is processing the cancellation of $2 billion worth of loans held by 30,000 borrowers who applied for the program.

In the coming weeks, the department will release more details regarding how it will continue to implement the Limited PSLF Waiver program, particularly for borrowers who need to qualify prior to the Oct. 31, 2022, deadline.

It's not too late to encourage your colleagues to join TCTA. Give them your member number and ask them to include it in the Take 2, Make $25 box on the application. You can earn $25 for every two eligible First-Time Active members who join by Dec. 31. Find all the details at tcta.org/take2.