Convention of States Foundation encourages all eligible voters to get out and vote in the upcoming school board election for the Houston ISD. Early voting has already begun and runs through October 29, with the election on November 2nd. The Houston ISD is the largest school district in the State of Texas and the seventh largest in the nation. Five of the nine HISD seats will be up for four-year terms in this off-cycle election.
In order to better educate voters for this election and encourage everyone to get out and vote, COSF has conducted a survey of the school board candidates, asking them where they stand on a variety of issues ranging from teaching critical race theory curriculum to districtwide mask and COVID vaccine mandates.
COSF asked candidates to respond to six survey questions:
— Do you support allowing all students to use bathrooms, showers and locker rooms, as well as participate in sports, based on the gender with which they identify, not the sex they are assigned to at birth?
— Do you believe a teacher should be required to use a student’s preferred pronoun?
— Do you support utilizing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum and resources, including teaching Critical Race Theory?
— Do you support the use of the 1619 Project, or similar curriculum, as the most accurate portrayal of the founding of America?
— Would you support a district policy mandating all students and staff wear face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
— Would you support a district policy that requires all staff members and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19?
Click here to see all survey results.
Seven of the thirteen candidates did not respond. Five of the candidates answered “no” to all of the questions. One candidate — Mac Walker, running in District 7 — answered “no” to five of the questions and answered “yes” to supporting a district policy mandating all students and staff wear face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Mark Meckler, President of the Convention of States Foundation, expressed the importance of these nonpartisan surveys and get out the vote efforts: “Oftentimes it’s hard to know where school board candidates stand on some of the most important issues of the day, making it difficult for voters to determine who would best represent them, their children, and their values. The Convention of States Foundation survey gives Houston Independent School District voters a clearer picture of how the candidates seeking to represent them would lead and encourages everyone to participate in the local electoral process.”