The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• 5th Circuit Court hears arguments in Ten Commandments case
• Abbott announces creation of early childhood task force
• Texas schools begin observing Holocaust Remembrance Week
• Staying in during the storm? Engage in member advocacy!

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday regarding Texas Senate Bill 10, which requires public schools to display Ten Commandments posters in classrooms. All 17 judges considered this case alongside a similar Louisiana challenge, examining whether the laws violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. Sixteen families, represented by civil rights groups including the ACLU, sued 11 Texas school districts, arguing the law imposes a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments and pressures students to adopt specific religious principles. A federal judge previously blocked the law in those districts. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is arguing the Ten Commandments hold historical significance in American law and that the displays are merely passive, not coercive. During oral arguments, judges questioned both sides about religious endorsement, historical evidence, and whether students could simply ignore the posters. The 5th Circuit will rule at a future date, with potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Read more in The Texas Tribune.

TASK FORCE: Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the creation of a Task Force on Early Childhood Education and Care during a visit Tuesday to Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD. The task force stems from HB 117 by Rep. Alan Schoolcraft (R–Seguin), a bill ATPE supported and helped shape to include two preschool educators as members. The task force will evaluate early childhood programs across state agencies, aiming to improve program quality, simplify operations for providers, and reduce costs for families. Abbott emphasized the need to eliminate bureaucracy and address unclear regulations that burden parents. The initiative will also examine program efficiency and investigate potential waste, fraud, and abuse, referencing recent Minnesota allegations of fraud involving Head Start funding. The task force will collaborate with the Texas Workforce Commission, Department of Health and Human Services, and Texas Education Agency to develop recommendations for the Legislature by year's end. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave has more in this blog post.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WEEK: Texas public schools are required to observe Holocaust Remembrance Week from Jan. 26–30, 2026, a time set aside in state law to ensure students receive age-appropriate instruction about the Holocaust and the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and indifference. This observance comes amid a period of renewed global conflict and heightened concerns about antisemitism, underscoring the importance of helping students understand history, recognize warning signs of injustice, and reflect on the consequences when societies fail to confront hate. Learn more in ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield’s blog post.

MEMBER ADVOCACY: Most of Texas will experience winter storm conditions this weekend, so barring any power outages, this is an ideal time to explore ATPE’s advocacy resources. Start by searching for candidates here on Teach the Vote, then visit:

• Advocacy Central: Encourage candidates in your area to fill out the 2026 ATPE Candidate survey.  
• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed.   
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn state-level and local-level advocacy microcredentials, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so be sure to check it out today.    
• ATPE Professional Learning (PL) Portal: Three sessions from the 2025 ATPE Summit are available in the ATPE PL Portal: an HB 2 compensation overview, the ATPE lobby team’s advocacy update and the closing keynote by Jonathan Alsheimer. Log in to watch the recordings and earn 1.5 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit. (Jonathan Alsheimer’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists.) 
• The Rotunda: Don’t forget, members, that you can interact with your ATPE lobby team throughout the week when you log in to the ATPE Online Community.