Empower Texans 'whistleblower' letter to school districts reads more like teacher intimidation
On its website, Empower Texans says its mission is to "educate and inspire Texans to exercise effective citizenship." But some recent shenanigans employed by the conservative group seem to run counter to that mission.
Empower Texans mailed letters to school district employees across Texas, asking them to become "whistleblowers" against their employers: "Some school districts across the State of Texas are vowing to illegally misuse school district recourses [sic] to electioneer for liberal candidates in upcoming elections."
The letter, written by the group's general counsel, Tony McDonald, spells out various potential infractions of the Texas Constitution and the Texas Education Code, such as providing transportation to and from polling places as well as promoting or opposing candidates.
If evidence existed that school districts engaged in the kind of malfeasance spelled out by Empower Texans, the letter might have some merit. But the real motivation appears to be an overreaction by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who objected to work done by the Texas Educators Vote project. Bettencourt complained to Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming that a draft resolution by the group, written so that school boards could consider passing it, seeks to "espouse a political perspective on education."
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2018/02/09/empower-texans-whistleblower-letter-school-districts-reads-like-teacher-intimidation
