THSC and I recently spent a week at the biennial meeting of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) in Houston.
Every two years, delegates from all over the state of Texas gather to elect party leaders, adopt rules that govern the party, and, last but not least, adopt a platform that represents the policy positions that the Republican Party of Texas supports and opposes. This process begins at the precinct or neighborhood meetings after the primary.
Anyone who voted may attend and present resolutions for debate and adoption on policy issues.
Those resolutions are then forwarded a few weeks later to the County or Senatorial meetings. At those meetings, party platforms are adopted and delegates are elected to go to the state convention.
In 1992, I and many others went to that year’s convention and pushed for adopting a plank to support homeschooling and oppose any state regulation.
Since that time, the Republican Party of Texas has consistently supported the right of parents to teach their children without intervention from the State of Texas.
Many of the delegates, including THSC representatives, were giving testimony to the platform committee supporting an expansion of the party’s support of parental rights. This was mostly due to the attack we have witnessed in the last few years as well as giving testimony to the Legislative Priorities Committee urging them to include parental rights and educational freedom in the party’s top priorities.
There were a LOT of homeschoolers attending this convention as delegates.
The delegates at the convention responded in a very positive way, including these planks:
102 No Regulation of Homeschooling or Private School Curriculum: We oppose any attempt to regulate homeschooling or the curriculum of private or religious schools.
103 Parents Rights in Education: Parents are the primary educators and disciplinarians of their children, to which all other entities are inferior. The fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing and control of their children in all aspects, but especially in all aspects of the Texas education system shall be recognized, affirmed, and protected by changes to the Texas Constitution, and Texas Law including codifying the protections currently existing in the Texas Family and Education Codes. No public service entity nor its agent, district personnel, community partners, or District Board of Trustees shall infringe upon these rights.
These and other planks related to parental rights and the protection of children, especially in public schools with regard to sexualization and exposure to pornographic materials in school libraries were included in the RPT Platform.
Even more important is the fact that many of these issues made it into the top priorities as voted by over 5,000 delegates at the Republican Party of Texas Convention.
Note that four of the eight have to do with protecting children. It is clear that parental rights and parental choice will both be key issues in the next legislative session.
The eight priorities as determined by the delegates in order of priority for the upcoming legislative session are as follows:
- Protect Our Elections
- Ban Democrat Chairs
- Abolish Abortion in Texas. Abolish abortion by ensuring the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization, including adopting effective tools to ensure the enforcement of our laws to protect life when district attorneys fail to do so.
- Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids. Repeal Texas Penal Code “Obscenity Exemption” 43.24(c), which allows children access to harmful, explicit, or pornographic materials, and 43.25(f)(2 3), which allows sexual performance by a child. In addition, prohibit teaching, exposure, and/or discussion of sexual matters (mechanics, feelings, orientation, or “gender identity” issues), and prohibit use or provision of related books and other materials using criminal, civil or other enforcement measures.
- Ban Gender Modification of Children. Texas must ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, genital mutilation, bodily alteration surgery, psychological/social transitioning, and any other methods applied to or performed on children.
- Secure the Border and Protect Texans
- Parental Rights and Educational Freedom: Parents are the primary decision-makers for their children in all matters. This authority shall be protected as an inalienable right. This shall include the choice of schooling where the money follows the child without strings attached, and enforcement and penalty mechanisms when parents’ rights are violated. The right to education shall be free from any social theories.
- Defend Our Gun Rights
RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi said, “We are proud to be a grassroots-led party and look forward to supporting these priorities next legislative session. These priorities indicate that Republican delegates want our legislature to prioritize protecting our rights, our borders, and our children.”
Follow THSC on social media and sign up for our emails to stay informed as we plan to work in next year’s legislative session to see these parental rights issues adopted into law in Texas.
If you agree with us and support our mission to support parents, join THSC or become a supporter and help us stand in the gap for this father and the families of Texas.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our endorsements in these upcoming elections. Our freedom depends on it.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
THSC and I recently spent a week at the biennial meeting of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) in Houston.
Every two years, delegates from all over the state of Texas gather to elect party leaders, adopt rules that govern the party, and, last but not least, adopt a platform that represents the policy positions that the Republican Party of Texas supports and opposes. This process begins at the precinct or neighborhood meetings after the primary.
Anyone who voted may attend and present resolutions for debate and adoption on policy issues.
Those resolutions are then forwarded a few weeks later to the County or Senatorial meetings. At those meetings, party platforms are adopted and delegates are elected to go to the state convention.
In 1992, I and many others went to that year’s convention and pushed for adopting a plank to support homeschooling and oppose any state regulation.
Since that time, the Republican Party of Texas has consistently supported the right of parents to teach their children without intervention from the State of Texas.
Many of the delegates, including THSC representatives, were giving testimony to the platform committee supporting an expansion of the party’s support of parental rights. This was mostly due to the attack we have witnessed in the last few years as well as giving testimony to the Legislative Priorities Committee urging them to include parental rights and educational freedom in the party’s top priorities.
There were a LOT of homeschoolers attending this convention as delegates.
The delegates at the convention responded in a very positive way, including these planks:
102 No Regulation of Homeschooling or Private School Curriculum: We oppose any attempt to regulate homeschooling or the curriculum of private or religious schools.
103 Parents Rights in Education: Parents are the primary educators and disciplinarians of their children, to which all other entities are inferior. The fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing and control of their children in all aspects, but especially in all aspects of the Texas education system shall be recognized, affirmed, and protected by changes to the Texas Constitution, and Texas Law including codifying the protections currently existing in the Texas Family and Education Codes. No public service entity nor its agent, district personnel, community partners, or District Board of Trustees shall infringe upon these rights.
These and other planks related to parental rights and the protection of children, especially in public schools with regard to sexualization and exposure to pornographic materials in school libraries were included in the RPT Platform.
Even more important is the fact that many of these issues made it into the top priorities as voted by over 5,000 delegates at the Republican Party of Texas Convention.
Note that four of the eight have to do with protecting children. It is clear that parental rights and parental choice will both be key issues in the next legislative session.
The eight priorities as determined by the delegates in order of priority for the upcoming legislative session are as follows:
- Protect Our Elections
- Ban Democrat Chairs
- Abolish Abortion in Texas. Abolish abortion by ensuring the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization, including adopting effective tools to ensure the enforcement of our laws to protect life when district attorneys fail to do so.
- Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids. Repeal Texas Penal Code “Obscenity Exemption” 43.24(c), which allows children access to harmful, explicit, or pornographic materials, and 43.25(f)(2 3), which allows sexual performance by a child. In addition, prohibit teaching, exposure, and/or discussion of sexual matters (mechanics, feelings, orientation, or “gender identity” issues), and prohibit use or provision of related books and other materials using criminal, civil or other enforcement measures.
- Ban Gender Modification of Children. Texas must ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, genital mutilation, bodily alteration surgery, psychological/social transitioning, and any other methods applied to or performed on children.
- Secure the Border and Protect Texans
- Parental Rights and Educational Freedom: Parents are the primary decision-makers for their children in all matters. This authority shall be protected as an inalienable right. This shall include the choice of schooling where the money follows the child without strings attached, and enforcement and penalty mechanisms when parents’ rights are violated. The right to education shall be free from any social theories.
- Defend Our Gun Rights
RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi said, “We are proud to be a grassroots-led party and look forward to supporting these priorities next legislative session. These priorities indicate that Republican delegates want our legislature to prioritize protecting our rights, our borders, and our children.”
Follow THSC on social media and sign up for our emails to stay informed as we plan to work in next year’s legislative session to see these parental rights issues adopted into law in Texas.
If you agree with us and support our mission to support parents, join THSC or become a supporter and help us stand in the gap for this father and the families of Texas.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our endorsements in these upcoming elections. Our freedom depends on it.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
