STATEMENT: State Board of Education Indecision Frustrates Asian American Community’s Fight for Educational Representation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 30, 2022
Contact: Saatvik Ahluwalia
saatvik.ahluwalia@gmail.com
AUSTIN, TEXAS — In 2021 students, parents, teachers, and organizers began developing a curriculum for an Asian American studies elective that would lead to greater inclusion of Asian American history and perspectives in Texas high schools in accordance with the Board’s guidance for proper procedure.
In 2022, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) reached out to the organizers suggesting to stop their current journey and, instead, try and incorporate their efforts into the general Texas Essential Knowledge And Skills (TEKS) curriculum review. Today, the SBOE is demanding the Asian American community change courses once again - wasting the valuable time of students, parents, teachers, and organizers.
“Through their idecision, the SBOE has created an undue burden on the Asian American community and their effort to launch an Asian American elective. By changing their decision, they’ve created an undue burden for our community’s representation and done a disservice to students across the state who deserve a more honest and inclusive history.”
- Lily Trieu, Interim Executive Director of Asian Texans for Justice
Asian Texans for Justice is a leader in the #LearnOurStories Coalition working toward including a more honest and accurate representation of Asian Americans in Texas’ curriculum. We urge the SBOE to stick to the decision they made earlier this year.
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