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Texas school admin: balance Holocaust books with 'opposing' views
- ameminator 5y agoI don't generally think well of local town / local school administration. I still have no reason to change that opinion.
- Rebelgecko 5y agoThis sounds like the administrator is practicing malicious compliance- they realize the law is stupid and they're making sure it's followed in a way that makes that obvious
- renewedrebecca 5y agoI hope that's the case.
- godDLL 5y agoOr they might think the world is composed of opinions and not based in testable reality.
- stolenmerch 5y agoNot sure their snark works here since the holocaust isn't "widely debated and currently controversial”
- piperswe 5y agoSadly, it is debated and controversial to some, though it's unknown if "widely" would apply. Either way, this is likely malicious compliance, so the specifics don't matter all that much.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- speedybird 5y agoThat the Holocaust happened is not a matter of real debate. However there is some legitimate debate about how the Holocaust started: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functionalism%E2%80%93intentionalism_debate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functionalism%E2%80%93intentio... > The debate on the origins of the Holocaust centres on essentially two questions: > Was there a master plan on the part of Adolf Hitler to launch the Holocaust? Intentionalists argue there was such a plan, while functionalists argue there was not. > Did the initiative for the Holocaust come from above with orders from Adolf Hitler or from below within the ranks of the German bureaucracy? Although neither side disputes the reality of the Holocaust, nor is there serious dispute over the premise that Hitler (as Führer) was personally responsible for encouraging the anti-Semitism that allowed the Holocaust to take place, intentionalists argue the initiative came from above, while functionalists contend it came from lower ranks within the bureaucracy. It seems the general consensus is "a bit of both": > [...] Given the fact that scholars have written so much in relation to Nazi Germany, Richard Bessel asserts that, "The result is a much better informed, much more detailed and more nuanced picture of the Nazi regime, and most serious historians of the Nazi regime now are to some extent both 'intentionalists' and 'functionalists'—insofar as those terms still can be used at all."[20]
- spacemanmatt 5y agoOur state government actually intends to invite all those cranks to the table and pretend like their skepticism is legitimate. That's what's going on with multiple topics -- they're making a long-term play for propagandized schools.
- speedybird 5y agoI think Rebelgecko's theory of malicious compliance is more likely. This is the same state that passes anti-BDS laws that violate the first amendment to protect jewish interests, so I don't think the apparent antisemitism is genuine.
- sharemywin 5y agoI read the Texas bill and it's interesting because it lays out that controversial topics need to be discussed with a neutral point of view. But then goes on weigh in on a bunch of controversial topics.
- hindsightbias 5y agoShould there be a book that balances The Bible in TX public schools?
- piperswe 5y agoMinor correction: this article says the Texas State Teachers Association is a union, but it is just an advocacy organization since teachers' licenses can be revoked for collective bargaining.
- dillondoyle 5y agoReally? Genuine question: how is that legal?
- spacemanmatt 5y agoSame way Ken Paxton, the state AG, isn't in prison.
- piperswe 5y agoTexas Government Code, Sec. 617.003. Prohibition on Strikes by Public Employees. (a) Public employees may not strike or engage in an organized work stoppage against the state or a political subdivision of the state. (b) A public employee who violates Subsection (a) forfeits all civil service rights, reemployment rights, and any other rights, benefits, and privileges the employee enjoys as a result of public employment or former public employment. (c) The right of an individual to cease work may not be abridged if the individual is not acting in concert with others in an organized work stoppage. Quoted by the TCTA, another Texas teacher association: https://www.tcta.org/legal-updates/what-happens-if-texas-teachers-strike https://www.tcta.org/legal-updates/what-happens-if-texas-tea...
- dillondoyle 5y agoOk that makes a bit more sense. Kind of like air traffic controls in some places aren't allowed to strike. To me it reads that it doesnt outlaw licenses just for being in a union but rather doesn't allow you to strike - which i don't agree with but at least understand if education is essential?
- spacemanmatt 5y agoIn practice, the definition of "organized" is entirely oppressive. It pretty much sucks for teachers.
- csours 5y agoWhy would anyone decide to be a teacher today?
- anonnyj 5y ago**s have found a nice spot in using their garbage degrees, teaching **, which many parents don't want taught to their kids.
- fencepost 5y agoThis is the same place covered in the recent NBC News 6-episode "Southlake" podcast, https://www.nbcnews.com/southlake-podcast https://www.nbcnews.com/southlake-podcast Southlake, Texas, seems to have it all: stately homes, intense civic pride, and above all, terrific schools. So when a video surfaced in 2018 showing Southlake high school students chanting the N-word — and when Black residents came forward to share stories of racist harassment and bullying — the school board vowed to make changes. But the unveiling of a Cultural Competence Action Plan set off a backlash that’s consumed Southlake, fueled by a growing national crusade against critical race theory. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh (host of the hit podcast “Do No Harm”) and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton, “Southlake” tells the story of how this idyllic city, and its local school board election, became the poster child for a new political strategy with national repercussions. Edit: I wonder if their both-sidesism extends to things like the Alamo.
- sam0x17 5y agoConcerning that this would get flagged as it's a topic that frequently comes up in tech circles (misinformation)
- ashwagary 5y agoQuite crazy how far some states are willing to go just to avoid teaching US history from a Native/African American perspective.