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Texas Messengers recognized a pattern in Cy-Fair ISD’s elementary school social studies lessons: it was teaching and celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage. What is Latinx? What do the lessons look like? Who provided and approved the teaching of it in public schools? Was Cy-Fair ISD required to teach it?
Through Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) requests, Texas Messengers found that Cy-Fair ISD created the Latinx curriculum in-house with their district curriculum team and that it was not required by the State of Texas. Texas Messengers does not place the blame of this on the schools or the teachers. The lesson was created by the Cy-Fair ISD curriculum writing team, with the district administration's approval.
Texas Messengers became aware elementary students in Cy-Fair ISD were learning about the term, "Latinx", in the 2021-2022 school year after we asked for our children’s lessons that were not included in "Schoology". Schoology is a learning management system for schools that enables its users to create, manage, and share assignments and resources and is where the district tells parents they can view their children’s learning materials. However, not everything the district teaches is in Schoology, so parents may need to talk with their school’s principal to view the extra curriculum during school hours. This can be an undue burden for working parents that do not have time to take off from work but want transparency on what their child is learning. A pattern was discovered when another parent alerted Texas Messengers of a similar lesson, because they too, thought it was inappropriate and wanted action to be taken to get it removed.
WHAT IS LATINX?
A gender-neutral term for Latin Americans.
Here is Wikipedia’s definition of “Latinx”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_and_Latino_(ethnic_categories)
WHAT DO LATINX LESSONS LOOK LIKE?
The lesson from Wells Elementary in the 2021-2022 school year is presented below. Notice at the end it has a place to name "amazing Hispanic and Latinx Americans in our school”. Not only do students learn the controversial term, they identify it with role models they look up to at school. The teaching material includes adult themes such as “who profits from this” and “my culture is not your costume”:
The lesson from Pope Elementary in the 2022-2023 school year is presented below. Both lessons have a part about celebrating the culture respectfully. However, this topic is sensitive already for adults, let alone children. Elementary school kids do not understand the connotations and implications lessons such as these are trying to portray. Would there not be confusion around the term Latinx, especially at the elementary level where this term is introduced? This again highlights how the leadership of the district is eager to indoctrinate the culture wars into the brains of kids at a very young age.
HOW AND WHY WERE THESE LATINX LESSONS BROUGHT TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Not only should there be serious consideration as to whether this lesson is even necessary or whether the lessons are truly in the TEKS as set by the state of Texas. But how does this type of ideology benefit children, and what type of foundational learning skills make these lessons necessary for adulthood?
It turns out Cy-Fair ISD created the Latinx curriculum in-house with their district curriculum team and it was NOT required by the State of Texas. Cy-Fair ISD put out a curriculum they created that teaches these these controversial topics. Texas Messengers found this out by sending a Freedom of Information Act requests to Cy-Fair ISD to ascertain what TEK this lesson teaches to (TEKS Texas Essential and Knowledge and Skills as defined by Texas Education Agency and are to taught in all Texas school district by law) and if Cy-Fair ISD created this lesson in-house, as opposed to purchasing the material.
Here is Cy-Fair ISD's response:
Cy-Fair ISD writes, "Latinx is relatively new term. Some people may say Latino (masculine), Latina (feminine), but Latinx covers all genders." (located in screen shot on bottom)
Cy-Fair ISD writes, "it was developed by the district curriculum team".
Cy-Fair ISD writes, "This activity may also be used to satisfy the following social studies TEKS:
2nd Grade Social Studies TEKS
(15) Culture. The student understands the significance of works of art in the local community. The student is expected to:
(A) identify selected stories, poems, statues, paintings, and other examples of the local cultural heritage; and
(B) explain the significance of selected stories, poems, statues, paintings, and other examples of the local cultural heritage.
(16) Culture. The student understands ethnic and/or cultural celebrations. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the significance of various ethnic and/or cultural celebrations; and
(B) compare ethnic and/or cultural celebrations.”
Evidence that the information came from Cy-Fair ISD legal department (who handles Freedom of Information requests) is presented below:
Closer up "Latinx covers all genders"
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