Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants professors to lose tenure if they teach CRT

Texas college and university professors may soon lose tenure if they teach critical race theory (CRT) in their classrooms, according to the Lone Star state's lieutenant governor, who has vowed action by the state.

In a warning message to educators this week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he will work to strip them of their job security in the state if they teach CRT.

"The critical race theory people are trying to take us back to a divided country," Patrick told reporters at a press conference.

"Tenure to these professors who voted 41-5 telling the taxpayers and the parents and the legislature, and your own board of regents, to get out of their business that we have no say what you do in the classroom… You've opened the door for this issue because you went too far."

"What we will propose to do is to end all tenure for all new hires," Patrick said, vowing that the state legislature would take action against those who teach the subject in their classrooms.

"The law will change to say teaching critical race theory is prima facie evidence for good cause for tenure revocation," he said. In addition to his comments concerning tenure, Patrick said he wants annual reviews for the professors rather than six year reviews.

Patrick's remarks came after a vote by the Faculty Council at the University of Texas at Austin on a resolution to "defend academic freedom" by allowing the promotion of critical race theory in classrooms.

In a video that has been viewed over 10,000 times, UT-Austin Associate Professor of Finance Dr. Richard Lowery spoke out against the resolution which affirmed the "fundamental rights" of professors to push critical race theory in classrooms.

Lowery told Fox News that critical race theory, which promotes the idea that the United States is inherently racist, has "no scientific basis."

"From an academic perspective it basically assumes its conclusion," Lowery said. "There’s no reason to do research when you’ve already assumed that everything is driven by this one particular thing. They assume everything is driven by racism so you go back and figure out how things are driven by racism and that’s not actual research. It’s not falsifiable. It has no scientific basis."

Differing from Lowery, Andrea Gore, a professor in the Division of Toxicology and Pharmacology at UT-Austin, offered support for the resolution, saying it is "educators and not politicians" who should be making decisions about what is taught in schools across the state.

"This resolution affirms that its educators and not politicians who should make decisions about teaching and learning and it supports the rights and the academic freedom of faculty to design courses curriculum and pedagogy and to conduct related scholarly research," Gore said.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-wants-professors-to-lose-tenure-if-they-teach-crt

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DeSantis, first lady vow to 'change the narrative' on kids' mental health, keep politics out of classroom

Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis, sat down with Fox News Digital in a joint interview during which they reiterated their commitment to keeping Florida free in addition to announcing a new focus on cancer research and children's mental health in the months following the first lady's breast cancer diagnosis.

Casey DeSantis told Fox News Digital on Monday that she feels "really good" and is starting to get her energy back again, after announcing she completed her final round of chemotherapy for breast cancer in January. She said she was motivated by her family, including children Madison, 5, Mason, 3, and Maime, 22 months, to continue fighting.

As part of his wife's commitment to continue fighting, Gov. DeSantis proposed to increase the state's budget by 60% for cancer research, bringing the total to $100 million. The first lady told Fox News Digital that early detections and screenings for cancer were imperative, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic that saw a large decline in individuals seeking preventative medical treatment.

The other pocket of funding would be dedicated to technology and innovation so "we can finally find a cure for this thing," she said. The first lady in recent months has visited numerous children's hospitals and cancer centers throughout the state to discuss importance of early screenings and offer a sense of hope for children and adults going through chemotherapy.

Empowering kids

The first lady also talked about mental health impacts of the pandemic in addition to physical impacts, stating that her resiliency initiative, launched in February 2021, is aimed at empowering kids to be able to persevere through life's challenges. The initiative includes a "resiliency toolkit," as well as the Hope Ambassador Clubs program, designed to create "kind and compassionate school environments" through peer-to-peer volunteering.

"With mental health, what I noticed in traveling the state and speaking with a lot of kids is that if they come forward and say that they have a mental health issue, that they feel like a victim and that there's a stigma associated with it," Casey DeSantis told Fox News Digital.

She detailed working with the state Department of Education to pass a standard and curriculum that goes toward mental health in addition to engaging with well-known athletes, including Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and sports teams to discuss how no one is immune from hardship. "We're really trying to change the narrative with that," she continued.

In addition, the first lady said that virtual learning during COVID "was a terrible, failed experiment and our poor kids suffered immensely," which is why she's proud that the governor kept schools open.

"The governor keeping the schools open has done so much for these kids’ emotional and mental well-being. I really am so sad to hear that that's even part of the dialog in other states that you would be closing schools, not providing the opportunity for some of these kids."

On the topic of education standards for Florida's schoolchildren, Gov. DeSantis weighed in, citing the state's ban on teaching critical race theory as well as the new education standards his administration enacted last year on teaching of American civics, the Holocaust and character standards.

He told Fox News Digital that the education standards will be taught from "a vantage point of facts and truth," and without infusing political ideology. Gov. DeSantis referred to the 1619 Project, authored by Nikole Hannah-Jones, who recently incorrectly claimed that the Civil War started the year it ended, among other controversial statements.

"So, for example, this 1619 Project that the New York Times parrots, they say that the American Revolution was fought both to defend slavery," he said. "But if you look, there's literally nothing in the historical record."

Weaponizing history

The governor continued, "And so it's a historical, they're trying to weaponize history by distorting it in order to advance a political agenda. And so I think we've tackled that right. We are, though, increasing the ability of parents to be involved in the curriculum. Parents have a right to know what's being taught in schools. There's going to be more rights for parents after this legislative session so that they can make sure that our standards are enforced," he said.

Casey DeSantis, a former TV host, also weighed in on the state of the national conversation, saying, "I think we are divided, and I think it's very unfortunate. I think that if there were more outlets that would probably tell more accurate information that I don't think that we would be so divided. I think that there's a lot of entities that make a profit off of divisiveness." Gov. DeSantis chimed in, slamming the mainstream media "legacy outlets" for trying to "nullify" the 2016 election results by attempting to tie the Trump campaign to collusion with Russia.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-first-lady-kids-mental-health-politics-classroom

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Education Department erases $415M in student loan debt for 16,000 borrowers

The Department of Education announced this week it will cancel $415 million in federal student loans by nearly 16,000 borrowers allegedly misled by for-profit colleges.

The borrowers, who attended DeVry University, ITT Technical Institute, Westwood College and the Minnesota School of Business/Globe University, will receive the relief through a legal provision known as borrower defense, which allows individuals to discharge some or all of their student loan debt if their school misled them or otherwise engaged in other misconduct.

"The department remains committed to giving borrowers discharges when the evidence shows their college violated the law and standards," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement Wednesday.

The department found that between 2008 and 2015, DeVry University, a for-profit university headquartered in Illinois, repeatedly misled students by claiming that 90% of its graduates actively seeking employment landed a job in their field of study within six months of graduation. The job placement level was actually closer to 58%, according to the department.

The department has so far identified about 1,800 borrowers who will be eligible for more than $71 million in discharges because they "relied upon DeVry's misrepresentation in deciding to enroll." The number of borrowers who qualify for discharge is expected to grow as the department continues to review outstanding claims from former students. All borrowers with approved claims will receive full relief.

"Students count on their colleges to be truthful," Cardona said. "Unfortunately, today's findings show too many instances in which students were misled into loans at institutions or programs that could not deliver what they'd promised."

In a statement, Devry's Donna Shaults, senior director of university relations, noted the university's board of directors and leadership have changed since 2015.

Still, she maintained the university had been misrepresented by the government.

"We do believe that the Department of Education mischaracterizes DeVry's calculation and disclosure of graduate outcomes in certain advertising, and we do not agree with the conclusions they have reached," Shaults said.

In total, the Biden administration has approved about $2 billion in loan forgiveness for more than 100,000 students allegedly defrauded by their schools.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/education-department-student-loan-debt-forgiveness

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