Shannon Holmes, Ed.D, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, issues the following statement on Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter to the Texas Education Agency dated Nov. 10, 2021:

“No one of sound mind and moral character thinks Texas students should have access to pornography in public schools. The primary people who think there is a ‘porn problem’ in public schools are running for public office.

“The means exist, as they have for decades, for parents to address any isolated incidents of inappropriate content at the school board level. Accusations of criminal behavior by school officials, calls for a statewide investigation, and absurd complaints that a non-governmental association has ‘abdicated’ a duty and authority it never possessed are simply campaign tactics designed to drive up hysteria.

“Educators, students, and parents are at the breaking point as they struggle to deal with pandemic-related learning loss. Schools are straining to feed children due to supply chain issues. They can’t find bus drivers, custodians, or substitutes. Teachers are covering additional classes and working through their planning periods while class sizes balloon. Experienced educators are leaving the profession due to frustration and extreme stress. The adults in the room are staying awake at night trying to find solutions to those real issues.”

About the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
Founded in 1980, ATPE is the leading educators’ association in Texas with approximately 100,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, and future, retired, and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for Texas’ five million public school students. | atpe.org