WHEREAS, the Republican Party of Texas affirms that education is a God-given right and parental responsibility, and that every Texas child deserves a safe, high-quality, and legally compliant education; and

WHEREAS, the 2024 Republican Party of Texas Platform, adopted by grassroots delegates with overwhelming support, unequivocally prioritizes parents as the primary educators and disciplinarians of their children (Plank 85), urges the Legislature to create an independent Office of Inspector General of Education to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse – particularly sexual abuse of students, violations of parental rights, and violations of student due process rights in school settings (Plank 86) – and calls for compelling superintendents to report sex crimes within schools to outside law enforcement while removing civil liability immunity for schools and employees in such cases (2024 Legislative Priority on Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids); and

WHEREAS, these Platform planks highlight the urgent need for robust enforcement mechanisms to safeguard children, hold educators accountable, and ensure transparency – principles imperiled by systemic failures in Texas public education; and

WHEREAS, Texas has failed to achieve measurable academic gains commensurate with record funding increases, with the 2024 Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) results showing that Texas ranked 37th in 4th-grade reading, 44th in 8th-grade reading, and 34th in 8th-grade math – lagging far behind Republican-led states such as Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi, where targeted reforms have driven significant post-pandemic recovery; and

WHEREAS, the Texas Education Commission has presided over systemic failures to protect children from physical and sexual abuse in both traditional public schools and charter schools, exemplified by:

· The Celina ISD scandal, in which coach Caleb Elliott has been indicted on eight federal counts of sexual exploitation of children involving at least 39 minor victims, with four civil lawsuits filed on behalf of 34 families, alleging the district covered up misconduct despite complaints, violated mandatory reporting laws, and failed to intervene decisively, while the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has launched only a belated investigation without imposing immediate corrective actions;

· Over 6,888 reported incidents of educator sexual and violent misconduct against students from 2022–2025, with approximately 6,654 remaining unresolved per TEA data, a quantity which signifies a gross dereliction in enforcing the Do Not Hire Registry;

· Continued issuance of expansion waivers to charter networks with documented histories of abuse and financial misconduct, as the TEA has granted at least 17 such waivers to underperforming charters since 2016, enabling growth despite failing campuses and non-compliance; and

WHEREAS, persistent violations of federal special-education law have caused irreparable harm to Texas children with disabilities, exposed the state to ongoing federal oversight, and jeopardized hundreds of millions of dollars in Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding, now

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas formally and unequivocally condemns the conduct, policies, and leadership failures of the Texas Education Agency:

1. Sustained failure to raise academic standards and student outcomes to competitive levels, as evidenced by Texas’ low NAEP rankings despite surging per-pupil spending;

2. Gross dereliction of their duty to protect children from physical and sexual abuse in Texas schools, including inadequate responses to scandals as in Celina ISD;

3. Repeated and ongoing violations of federal and state special-education law that have systematically denied thousands of vulnerable Texas children the services they are legally entitled to receive; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas calls for immediate corrective action by the Texas Education Agency and directs that it be placed under heightened oversight by the Governor and State Board of Education to ensure:

· Restoration of Texas as a national leader in academic achievement through rigorous, locally controlled standards free from federal overreach;

· Enforcement of zero-tolerance policies and swift action against child abuse in any taxpayer- funded school, including mandatory reporting to law enforcement and full implementation of the Do Not Hire Registry;

· Texas is brought into full and immediate compliance with all special-education laws by prioritizing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), accelerating evaluations and services, and imposing conservatorship or penalties on non-compliant districts;

· Prompt establishment of an independent Office of Inspector General of Education, as urged by the 2024 Republican Party of Texas Platform, to investigate fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of parental rights, with full authority to refer matters for criminal and civil enforcement.