WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) sent a follow-up letter to Texas’ Northside Independent School District (NISD) demanding answers on why teachers subjected fifth-grade children to a radical racial social experiment without parental consent.
NISD has not responded to Rep. Roy’s letter dated March 17, 2022, regarding reports that teachers at Leon Spring Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, conducted a social experiment labeling dark-haired 10-year-olds as “privileged” and light-haired ones as “not as intelligent”. The students were also required to watch a graphic video containing images of dead black children.
“San Antonio parents deserve answers as to why teachers at Leon Springs Elementary blatantly circumvented their authority to implement a radical discrimination “lesson” and show graphic content to their fifth-grade children,” wrote Rep. Roy to NISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods. “As NISD’s Superintendent, you have an obligation to inform parents about what steps you are taking to ensure this will not happen again.”
Rep. Roy urged the superintendent to answer to parents and prevent future such incidents.
“To be frank, any further delays in providing San Antonio parents with these important answers will signal a disregard for parental rights and concerns and further erode NISD’s credibility in the community,” his letter concludes.
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Superintendent Woods,
As you are aware, my office sent you a letter dated March 17, 2022, regarding reports that North Side Independent School District (NISD) teachers conducted a racial social experiment on fifth grade students without parental consent, and we have yet to receive a response.[1]
San Antonio parents deserve answers as to why teachers at Leon Springs Elementary blatantly circumvented their authority to implement a radical discrimination “lesson” and show graphic content to their fifth-grade children. As NISD’s Superintendent, you have an obligation to inform parents about what steps you are taking to ensure this will not happen again. It is imperative for you to address these concerns immediately. To be frank, any further delays in providing San Antonio parents with these important answers will signal a disregard for parental rights and concerns and further erode NISD’s credibility in the community.
As I have come to understand the situation more fully, please answer the following questions in addition to the questions asked in my letter dated March 17, 2022:
- Please explain how this discrimination “lesson” did not violate HB 3979 that Governor Abbott signed into law on June 16, 2021?
- Is the film “4 Little Girls” on the list of NISD’s approved fifth grade education materials? If not, when was the film approved to be played in class? Who approved it?
- Did NISD inform parents that the fifth-grade teachers played this film’s graphic scenes in their children’s class? If not, why not?
- What measures is NISD taking to ensure this film or others are not shown in class without parental consent? Please explain in detail these policies and procedures.
Thank for your attention to this matter, and please respond no later than Friday May 6, 2022.
Sincerely,
Chip Roy
Member of Congress