The Texas Freedom Network is calling on people to join a new campaign against what it calls “education censorship” across the state.
The movement, made up of more than a dozen organizations, follows efforts by local and national politicians to limit racial and LGBTQ representation in schools, as part of their own political ambitions.
The group said making education so partisan ignores the needs of children.
Val Benavidez, executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, said students need policies that ensure diverse populations are represented in their school environment.
“Support students by proactively organizing in your local school boards, attending regular meetings, testifying before the state school board,” Benavidez emphasized. “And let your state officials know that you will not tolerate politically motivated bans that attempt to silence our communities.”
Benavidez emphasized that the goal of the “Teach the Truth” campaign is to create communities where everyone feels included, regardless of race or sexuality.
Texas lawmakers have passed bills in recent years restricting discussion of racial history and LGBTQ-related topics in schools.
The coalition argued that removing some books from library shelves ends up making education one-sided and avoiding the truth about difficult topics in order to put some students or their parents more at ease.
Hedreich Nichols, educational consultant and author of children’s books, thinks a little discomfort is necessary for a balanced education.
“We’re doing our students a disservice,” Nichols argued. “Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable; as a parent, I want my son to be able to face uncomfortable truths.”
Ricardo Martinez, executive director of Equality Texas, said his group questioned the Texas Education Agency last fall about various attempts to remove more than 800 books from schools. Some 60% focused on LGBTQ topics, 8% on race, and 13% on sex education.
Martinez sees a longer-term impact on student mental health.
“The young people of Texas see their very humanity challenged, time and time again, by those in charge of their safety and education,” Martinez said.
He added that books and “true history” are important in schools, and said anyone can report concerns about what is happening in their school district on the campaign website.
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Iowa’s child welfare system is feeling the brunt of the pandemic, with some counties in dire need of foster families. At the same time, those involved in the removals say the state remains focused on reducing the cycle of trauma for children.
Iowa Lutheran Services (LSI) said areas surrounding cities such as Council Bluffs and Sioux City have the biggest gaps in foster care.
Danette Morgan, initial training coordinator for LSI, said last year that more than 520 children in western Iowa were in need of foster care. She noted that the pandemic has created roadblocks in families accepting more referrals. Another dilemma is the closure of some emergency shelters, which has added to the uncertainty.
“Every time we move, I think it brings up the questions again: ‘How long am I going to stay here? What happens next?’ “Morgan explained. “And I think that sets the child back, maybe, in terms of healing and development.”
As Lutheran Services calls for more households to become foster parents, they said Iowa recognizes the importance of family care. Thanks to a federal law passed in 2018, states have financial flexibility to perform services aimed at keeping at-risk children with loved ones.
And there are preventative efforts to avoid removing children from their homes. The Iowa Family Care Program began last year.
Morgan pointed out that the program is a big help because of the extra hoops parents or trusted family friends have to go through to become adoptive parents of a loved one. They receive temporary financial support throughout the process.
“It’s a long process, and it takes time,” Morgan observed. “If finances were a concern for the family in this program, it makes it a little easier for them, and at the same time [it] give the child a home.”
Meanwhile, LSI noted that of the 520 children in need of placement last year, about half of the cases involved siblings. Morgan added that the limited availability makes it difficult to keep them connected, and his team is doing its best to find homes close to each other.
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Texas Rangers investigating reports of child sex trafficking at a Bastrop shelter said they did not find enough evidence to support the charges.
Le Refuge, a non-profit shelter, was created to help girls aged 11 to 17 who were victims of sex trafficking. But after allegations that some shelter workers may be trafficking the girls, Governor Greg Abbott ordered an investigation last week.
Missy Davidson, forensic investigator and counselor for the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center, explained that these crimes are often well hidden, in part because the children involved do not identify themselves as victims.
“Generally, we consider these types of victims to be what we call ‘compliant’ victims,” Davidson noted. “They’re not going to say what’s going on. Either they’re too scared or they’re too caught up in it, and it’s become their way of life. So sometimes they don’t even recognize it’s something bad. It’s how they make money, it’s how they live.”
According to Davidson, young people who have been trafficked are sometimes viewed with suspicion in the justice system because they may have had drug problems or troubled family lives leading to further run-ins with the law. Texas Rangers found evidence of nude photos taken, but the employee involved was fired. Shelter officials said they were “deeply relieved” by the results.
However, in Texas alone, an estimated 79,000 young people are victims of sex trafficking, a problem that costs the state $6.5 billion a year to care for survivors.
Davidson pointed out that officials are well aware of the trend and recognized issues include building trust with teens to come forward and help them kick their drug addiction.
“They learned very quickly, we don’t trust law enforcement, we maybe don’t trust child protective services, and you know, our investigators,” Davidson pointed out. “They don’t trust that kind of system.”
She added repeatedly that a young person faces threats of abuse or even death from their pimp or traffickers if they report what is going on.
Davidson explained that once off the streets, the youth begins interview and therapy over several sessions, and they are intentionally placed away from where the abuse happened. She pointed out that when they are first rescued, they often have no money or identification and appear malnourished.
“And confused, bewildered,” Davidson observed. “They may not have eye contact, are afraid of authority. Sometimes they may have baggage with them.”
If you think you are a victim of sex trafficking or know someone who is and needs immediate help, you can call 888-373-7888, and the National Human Trafficking Resource Center humans will find local assistance.
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A change in Medicaid enrollment in the coming months could jeopardize health coverage for millions of children in the United States and thousands of children in Idaho.
When the federal government officially ends the COVID-19 public health emergency, it will also end the requirement for states to provide ongoing Medicaid coverage.
Hillarie Hagen, health policy associate at Idaho Voices for Children, explained what that would mean in Gem State.
“Families will need to complete renewal paperwork for their children to remain on Medicaid,” Hagen explained. “And if the state renewal process is unable to handle the influx of renewals, or if parents cannot be reached to complete the paperwork on short notice, tens of thousands of children Idaho are at risk of losing their health coverage.”
More children in Idaho have obtained health coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program during the pandemic. According to a report from Georgetown University, an additional 24,000 children in the state were covered by the programs between February 2020 and June 2021. He said most were covered by Medicaid.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and Research, predicted that the loss of additional federal funds to ensure continued Medicaid coverage will create tremendous pressure on states and there will likely be record numbers of refusal of procedure.
“For all of these reasons, we now estimate that 6.7 million children are at extremely high risk of becoming uninsured during this process,” Alker reported. “As large as that number is, we actually think it’s a conservative estimate.”
Hagen noted that there are several ways Idaho can prepare for the change, which is expected to happen in July.
“Idaho officials can extend Medicaid renewal deadlines and give families more time to respond to alerts and submit necessary paperwork,” Hagen suggested. “The state can also invest in strong education and strong consumer support in preparation.”
Hagen added that the state could also track and publish renewal data regularly so it can intervene quickly if children start losing coverage at high rates.
Disclosure: The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families contributes to our fund for reporting children’s issues and health issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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