Hey y’all👋

I attended the “No Kings” rally in downtown Dallas this past weekend, and was blown away by the number of people who braved the harsh rain to hear from some incredible speakers. They included Javier García del Moral, co-owner of The Wild Detectives, one of my favorite book stores in Dallas.

He spoke about the importance of community during trying times, and finding spaces to go to connect with people. How are you finding community these days?

For this week’s TexEd Report, I spoke with the ACLU of Texas about the dangers of President Donald Trump’s compact that he’s asked the University of Texas to agree to.

You’ll also watch me break down what’s happening to libraries in a Central Texas school district, and learn about an upcoming event COURIER Texas is hosting in Dallas about the intersection of religion and education in our public school classrooms.

If you missed last week’s edition, read it here.

Katie Serrano

DFW Political Correspondent, COURIER Texas

UT won’t say if it accepted Trump’s pledge targeting trans, international students

Photo by Aaron E. Martinez/Getty Images

In early October, the White House sent letters to nine public and private universities—including the University of Texas at Austin—urging their leaders to sign a “compact” pledging support for President Trump’s political agenda to ensure preferential access to federal research funds.

Universities had until Monday to respond, but UT was the only school that didn’t say publicly what it decided to do

Seven university systems—including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Dartmouth College, the University of Virginia, and the University of Arizona—rejected the proposal outright. Vanderbilt didn’t reject or accept the proposal. The school stated it was only “asked to provide feedback and comments as part of an ongoing dialogue.”

While UT remained silent, Kevin Eltife, chair of the UT System Board of Regents, said earlier this month that UT was honored to receive Trump’s letter and looked forward to reviewing the compact.

Critics of Trump’s push for universities to comply called the move “patently unconstitutional.”

New Braunfels ISD shutters school libraries

It’s becoming a trend for schools in Texas to overcomply to ensure they’re not violating new state laws that went into effect this year.

Most recently, middle and high schools in New Braunfels ISD have banned students from campus libraries while the district reviews nearly 200,000 materials. It’s part of the district’s response to Senate Bill 13, a new Texas law that prohibits books with “indecent, profane, or sexually explicit” material in school libraries.

But the bill doesn’t require schools to close libraries while books are under review, or for a school to audit its entire collection.

Watch me break it down below:

What’s at stake with politics in classrooms and for freedom in Texas schools? Join COURIER Texas and Americans United for “Faith, Freedom & The Future of Texas,” a live event exploring how religion and politics are reshaping education, democracy, and community life across the state.

💬 Includes panels on faith in classrooms and faith leaders voicing concerns—plus free food and drinks.

🎟️ Sign up here

🪧Students can protest on UT’s campus—for now: A federal judge temporarily blocked parts of a new Texas law that limits speech on college campuses after students sued over infringements to their First Amendment rights. (COURIER Texas)

✝️Austin nonprofit donates Ten Commandments posters to schools: Texas Values donated thousands of Ten Commandments posters to schools across the state to help fulfill a new state law requiring the religious text be posted in classrooms. (KVUE)

🧑‍🏫Half of new Texas teachers aren’t certified: More than half of new Texas teachers were uncertified during the 2023-24 school year, but a new state education funding bill that passed this year includes money to certify more teachers. (KERA)

We’ve reached the last set of discussion questions for “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I’ve loved reading this book to kick off our banned book club, and next week we’ll have a final recap and discussion over the educational value this story brings to students, and why it should be returned to school library shelves.

We’ll also vote on November’s book—so stay tuned!

But in the meantime, here are some questions to ask yourself as you finish up “The Kite Runner.”

1. What does Amir’s confrontation with Assef represent in terms of his personal transformation and journey toward redemption?

2. How does Sohrab’s trauma reflect or echo Amir’s own emotional scars?

3. In what ways does their relationship offer both characters a chance at healing?

4. Do you think the ending of the novel is hopeful, tragic, or somewhere in between?

5. How satisfying did you find the resolution, and what questions does it leave you with?

Would you recommend this newsletter to your friends and family?

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katie Serrano. The TexEd Report is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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