The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is advising school leaders and educators to cancel or redirect upcoming events and activities related to Cesar Chavez ahead of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, according to a statement on Monday.
The letter of guidance for staff is in alignment with Texas Gov. Abbott’s recent directive and comes following the recent allegations of sexual abuse committed by Cesar Chavez.
Beyond optional holiday celebrations, under the currently adopted Social Studies Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), students are required to learn about Chavez in multiple grades,
including 5th grade and US History.
In alignment with TEKS, school systems in Texas currently have instructional materials and other learning activities focused on Chavez.
The recent allegations will likely result in the removal of any material explicitly focused on Chavez, according to the release. The TEA is advising school systems in Texas to eliminate, modify and otherwise alter any learning
activities, individual lessons, and ancillary materials to remove references to Chavez.
Texas Education Code §28.0022(a)(1) provides that “a teacher may not be compelled to discuss a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs,” and any related instructional materials that existed before these allegations became widely known would lead to conflicts with this statutory requirement.
The TEA said that their guidance, in the form of a letter to staff, serves as formal notice that they will not consider failure to teach any student expectation focused on Chavez as out of compliance with statutory
requirements related to TEKS coverage.