A conservative mom who can read the fine print.

Joined April 2021
29 Photos and videos
April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Lord, help me. No one triggers me like @TerriLeoWilson and her asinine questions at the House Public Education Hearings. #txed house.texas.gov/videos She has no institutional memory with bills like HB 1842 where Morath and Williams lobbied for Districts of Innovation (DOI) which incentivized districts to hire uncertified teachers using an exemption. Now they are holding a hearing to figure out why we have an increase in uncertified teachers and Wilson asked if we should look at charters schools. Seriously? Charter schools actually hire more uncertified teachers because they have that flexibility. That’s why they don’t outperform our traditional public schools despite their unfair advantage in state funding. They also can discriminate against students by cherry-picking and kicking out those with special needs, learning disabilities, ELL, and behavior problems. She needs to be schooled. @GinaHinojosaTX please help her…
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
“The same reformsters who exacerbated the reading wars came back to fix them with synthetic solutions.” They made the problem to sell us their snake oil.
Replying to @plthomasEdD
“Science of Reading” #SoR is code for standardized, canned @Amplify curriculum which is now state-owned in Texas and rebranded as Texas Bluebonnet. They use “open education resources” (OER) as coined by @UNESCO to shift everything from textbooks to technology. @ehanford was controlled opposition used to expose the manufactured reading crisis. The same reformsters who exacerbated the reading wars came back to fix them with synthetic solutions. @williamstodd78 of @Commit2Dallas lobbied hard for HB 1605 Amplify vendor bill. @tultican youtu.be/PNqHUpZ2CBg?si=7EJL…
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Yet when “UNCLE PAUL” was in school education did not need fixing; because there was no “High Stakes Testing”, and teachers wrote their own test. Local Control reigned,then came “A Tax recapture” known as “Robin-hood” one of the first pieces expanding “Socialism” in Texas through the largest state expense. Our biggest obligation- Education of children- Nothing in education has been fixed it has been a sinking ship with NO “rising tide” to be found.
"What gets measured gets fixed" is a phrase I'm well known for in the Texas Senate, and it's at the heart of education reforms passed in HB 8 that measure our future students' success. House Pub Ed Chair @BradBuckleyDVM and I passed his HB 8 to prepare students for real-world achievement with a system that measures student growth. HB 8 replaces the STAAR with 3 shorter tests: beginning, middle, and end of the year. BOY and MOY scores are back in 48 hours, so teachers can give students immediate feedback! A-F accountability ratings were restored, and "lawfare" trying to block accountability was STOPPED as Texas must have a public accountability system year to year! The reforms give valuable time back to teachers and students in Texas classrooms. Fall 2027 can’t come fast enough for me as HB 8 is a win, win, win for all in Texas Public Education! 🤘 #txed #txlege
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Framework is how TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills) are organized.SBOE CHOSE to organize it chronological not the old method“build on subjects” from lower- higher grades.Once a subject is presented in the historical order, it is not covered again unless new issue.
MORE subverting the representative form of government to ironically teach about our state and nation. Tyrannical ? Corrupt TEA- zero oversight @TXLege_ @GregAbbott_TX @hartUS2patriot @pjakcoker_patty 1. The review process was truncated and selectively staffed. The timeline did not permit careful expert scrutiny, and the composition of review committees did not reflect the breadth of historical expertise available in Texas and nationally. Standards of this consequence deserve a process commensurate with their importance.   2. Ideological objectives preceded the development of the framework. There is substantial evidence that conclusions were reached before the review process began, and that the framework was constructed to justify predetermined outcomes rather than to reflect the best current historical scholarship.
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Historians, teachers highlight issues with new Social Studies TEKS | Texas | thecentersquare.com thecentersquare.com/texas/ar…
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Religion is a Parent’s Right and belongs in the home! Christians DO NOT want the failed public schools of TX encroaching on the church!! #Theologymatters @headgeo @Davy1836 @RealAlexJones @sbellsnyder @MC4Texas @texaschickster
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
TX @SBOE @KellyRasti @KevenEllisDC How can the SBOE write training for schools on parent’s rights while taking away Parent’s rights by tying religion to the TEKS and Staar testing?? Stop the religious hypocrisy and the heresy by JP - and Paula White non sense! #14thamendment
Parents, your rights are being stolen by people who believe they know better than you what your child needs. I can’t imagine how many others out there believe the same, but don’t have access to media to share it. youtu.be/EgWcBV9_kLM @publicschoolext @ALEXNEWMAN_JOU @TheRobertBshow @thesamsorbo
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
2024 TPPF -->Don Frazier's Texas Center $70k to develop TEKS The most forceful content advisor voice in the horrific age unaligned and pro nationalism which leads to globalism TEKS was Don Frazier- never elected only selected!
Let’s talk about these TEKS that TPPF makes these claims?? Isn’t TPPF just protecting their investment to “actually subvert the elected body of the SBOE ? 🚨Doesn’t this undermine the Representative form of the republic? instagram.com/reel/DWjjyP0AL…
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Federal Judge Orders The State To Admit Islamic Schools Into Texas Voucher Program, Lynn Davenport Breaks It All Down @lynnsdavenport
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
I taught during the rise of Chromebooks in classrooms and it was a nightmare Kids cheating rampantly, Googling every single fact, refusing to read assuming that copy and pasting things from Wikipedia counted as an answer Students were regularly able to circumvent controls to watch porn, play video games, and watch movies or YouTube in class Students used shared Google Docs to gossip, bully each other, and plan crime (not joking) Everyone knew it was a disaster but the district refused to stop using them because “this is the future, kids need to learn computers”, plus massive amounts of funding were tied to them Mandatory testing was done on the computers and they were used for IEP accommodations so they were unavoidable Eventually, things got so bad that despite vigorous protests from parents and administrators, I went almost entirely analog, requiring students only use paper and textbook except for state mandated tests That worked really well until COVID, where remote learning once again became mandatory Even after the return to classrooms administration required everything be accessible online at all times, so there was no longer any option to stop the digital distractions A true nightmare for teachers and a system that has radically failed students
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
When Republicans lose Texas, & we will with the way GOP electeds treat their incredibly informed voters who stand with the RPT platform over donors, they can never say they were not warned. Americans are rightfully blowing up over the Epstein files & here in Texas electeds, candidates, groups & PAC’s all bankrolled by Tim Dunn are trying to smear GOP voters that are standing up & saying no to Huffines over his ownership of Epstein’s Zorro ranch. If Don has nothing to hide then why did visitors of the ranch have to sign NDA’s? If Don has nothing to hide why did he have his son & wife all over the paperwork & not him? If Don has nothing to hide then why is he refusing to answer any questions? Why are his supporters immediately defending him & saying “it was just a land purchase at a good deal” & “the money went to the victims”……what victims??? Bondi & Kash have both claimed there was nothing in the files so if that’s true then there are no victims. We know they lied & there are victims but there hasn’t been a trial so how are there victims to receive money? The files were just released a few weeks ago & the ranch was bought in 2023, so again, how did Huffines money go to victims? That leads us to the gross allegiance that these same Pale Horses (those funded by Dunn) have to protect a former gay porn star who gets paid to push the UN agenda for socialism & the destruction of education for all but the super elites. Texans - this is your warning. Pale Horses are NOT grassroots they are donor controlled opposition to swampy Republicans who were not representing republican voters. They saw a window to pretend to be better to gain control so they took it, end of story. They are not better. They are the most destructive electeds to liberty, they are 100% worse than TLR republicans who suck too. We do NOT have ANY actual Republicans in office. ZERO! Pay attention to how they vote vs what they lie & say they are for. Biggest case & point is the flopper @AndyHopperTX who wrote an article on why school choice was a scam, used “Liberty or death” as his campaign tag line, got elected then voted to trick parents into selling their children’s liberty in the school choice bill. He did that because if you are funded by Dunn you are not allowed independent thought, group think only! Voting for any bill labeled school choice was a REQUIREMENT for Dunn’s Raiders of Liberty just like it was for those that received Abbott’s endorsement &/or money. Wake up! What else do you need to see to be convinced that these Pale Horses defending Huffines secret purchase of Epstein’s Ranch & defending a gay porn star that wants an audience of children & parents are NOT grassroots Republicans & are simply paid for mouthpieces of a billionaire who is hungry for power & control???
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Homeschooling in Texas is about to change, and not for the better, thanks to the passage of "school choice:" *First, the homeschool ESA recipients will be scrutinized. *Next, when the state or the populace decide that homeschoolers aren't "doing it right," all homeschoolers will be scrutinized. *There will be calls for more oversight on all homeschoolers in the state. *Bills will be introduced to impose minimum requirements, assessments, and data collection. *There may even be bills to impose medical oversight in homes of homeschoolers (like other states have already done). *Our status as one of the best homeschool states will disappear. *Homeschool curriculum prices will go up, and some mom-and-pop providers will go out of business, because they can't compete with the state's "approved education vendor" coupons. *Homeschool co-ops that don't accept ESA money will be shrink, while state-funded co-ops will grow. *ESA homeschoolers will look at private homeschoolers and demand to have the freedoms we have, which will result in the opposite: the free homeschoolers will be affected by the ESA law until homeschooling in Texas is no longer recognizable. > But I will not forget. And I hope you won't, either. Freel free to bookmark this post and fact check it in a few years, because that's what I'll be doing. I've been a homeschooler in Texas since 1985, first as a child, and for the past 25 years as a mom. I will not forget. <
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
For one segment of the republican party to continue to label and diminish a long time republican over 1 issue - the voucher. While ignoring the number of their funders highly adored philanders and blatant liars to their constituents and doing immoral acts harming others; highlights who is driving the shrinking of voters for republicans, and the disdain growing against them and therefore apathy towards the party. This animosity and cancel culture embodied so very deeply in the Dunn cult, and the repeated public display is a black eye on Texas, the fruit it produces is rotten.
UPDATE: @tamusystem regents didn't appoint Glenn Rogers (a loud grassroots opponent and fierce @GregAbbott_TX critic) to a committee overseeing the Rural Veterinary Incentive Program. The disgraced former legislator's name was withdrawn before the meeting. texasscorecard.com/state/tex…
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Let's Talk Julie Pickren, SBOE District 7 I seek clarification regarding the origins of her wealth, particularly as it has not been accurately documented in her public record, which raises substantial questions and potential implications. Pickren has portrayed herself as a thriving rancher in Texas, claiming ownership of over 2,000 acres and 800 head of cattle, while also mingling with the Texas football team, the "Cowboys," where she hosts an annual party at her West Texas ranch. Additionally, she owns a modest 200 acres in South Texas; it is indeed concerning that Amanda has continued to provide Julie Pickren with more funding from 2022 to 2025. It would be prudent for a conscientious District Attorney to investigate these financial dealings. The ongoing support for what is clearly fraudulent is beyond troubling, especially when her ministries, intended to nourish underprivileged children, remain unrecognizable. I wonder if her spirits channeling is the cause of her success. 🤔
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Texas has now crossed a serious line. Through HB 1605, passed in the last session, championed by TEA Commissioner #MikeMorath, Governor Greg Abbott, Representative Brad Buckley, Senator Brandon Creighton and others on both sides of the asile, the state is explicitly establishing a mandated “canon of literature” for every student K through 12. That word canon matters. Canon is not an academic term. It is a value laden term rooted in authority, belief, and the power to declare what is foundational truth. This is not about teaching students how to read across genres. The state’s own testimony confirms the intent is to create a shared body of works all students are expected to read, understand, and internalize as foundational knowledge. That is a shift away from academic skill development and toward shaping values, beliefs, and behaviors. When the state becomes the arbiter of what is canon, it assumes authority over truth itself. And when that canon begins to include biblical references embedded in a state owned and mandated curriculum, the question must be asked plainly. Is the state now defining its own religious canon? This is not about faith. It is about government power, coercion, and the constitutional danger of the state deciding what our children must believe, rather than what they must learn. The Bible is sacred scripture. It is not a tool of the state. And it should never be filtered, excerpted, reframed, or repackaged by a government agency.
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
All the education republican activist have respected and admired the late Charlotte Iserbyt for a good reason; she is right!! Texans clamoring for tax relief will think they are helping themselves. But totally a deception,they are eliminating local government,& local authority.
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
ZERO elected officials in the Texas Senate & House can say they didn’t know that the voucher bill would fund millions of taxpayers money to the private CCP & Muslim/Islam schools. I personally told them. Voters, refuse to be gaslit. This wasn’t a mistake, it was deliberate because @GregAbbott_TX is a true WEF globalist on a mission to destroy Texas. Due the 2022 SCOTUS ruling in Carson v. Makin I don’t see how private Islam schools can legally be excluded. Only way to stop it is to end the voucher bill & install a tax exemption school choice bill….like I told them all BEFORE they voted on it. #facts
Replying to @Bannons_WarRoom
I personally hand delivered this attached document that I made using public data to every single Texas senator & Rep BEFORE all of them voted on the bill. Our now acting Comptroller Kelly Hancocks staff asked me to leave his office when I brought this & the CCP documents to them. They said I was fear mongering & they weren’t going to allow it. I testified about this in my almost 10 minute testimony before the House. I was one of the first people to testify before the House in the almost 24 hour hearing so they were all still very much awake when I spoke. They all knew & they all didn’t care because this bill was 100% donor pushed, something I also called out in my testimony. Every single R that voted for SB2 (only 3 R’s did not vote for it & all 3 are not running for re-election) sold out state & our children to donors. The bill literally tricks parents into selling their children’s actually liberty if they accept the money. This is a 911 & I told alllll of them. I lived in Austin for 2.5 months telling each of them. They can never ever say they didn’t know.
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
Get our Texas kids off the devices and back to books, paper and pencils. Our legislators boast about Parent Empowerment but the best empowerment is interacting with our children and their homework with a book at the kitchen table.
I work with children. I coach gymnastics and cheerleading as it says in my bio. I’ve been involved in athletics since I can remember. But what I’ve noticed over the past decade especially the last 5 years or so something has seriously gone wrong with our children. Put aside the gymnastic angle and let me explain why I am so worried. The kids today (NOT ALL, but a huge portion) don’t know how to jump rope, they can’t run properly. They can barely do jumping jacks. These are basic motor skills, coordination skills that are kids are simply not able to do. And before anyone is snarky and blame me and say it’s my coaching I am telling you it’s not that. Children are not playing outside the way they need to. There attention span is much shorter. Letting your kids play on tablets/iPads have access to smart phones is NOT parenting and it’s not helping your child. It is hindering them. I am not the only one noticing. They expect instant gratification instead of working hard to achieve a skill because they’re used to by a touch of a button getting exactly what they want in a moments notice. We need to do better. Somethings in life take hard work and dedication and helps build self esteem. We need strong children so when they grow up one day they can believe in themselves and that hard work pays off. I am not trying to lecture anyone but I am looking long term for our country and it is beginning to scare me. I am not saying abuse or mistreat your kids but if things don’t change we are setting them up for failure and one day they will be in charge in many different industries. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?? Stop giving trophies just because your child showed up. Once again this is NOT doing any of the kids any favors. I’d appreciate any feedback and let me know if anyone else has noticed or seen what I am witnessing??
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April Walsh-Crooks retweeted
I want to encourage the moms and dads who are looking for a completely online, hands-off homeschooling program -- please don't. I don't want to sound harsh, so hear me out... You might be thinking you're too busy for this homeschool gig, or that you aren't qualified to really be the teacher. You may be looking for an effortless way to get your kids out of public school. I totally understand these feelings. I want your kids out of public school, too. But let me encourage you to see how the effort is so worth it. You don't have to have a teaching degree to help your child with math. (Homeschool curriculum always comes with a teacher guide, and the answers!) You don't have to remember your world history to dig into exciting history lessons with your children. (Most homeschooling parents are astounded at how much they like history now that they have access to great resources!) You don't have to remember how to diagram sentences to oversee grammar lessons. (Remember: answer key!) While most kids are certainly capable of muddling through online lessons, that doesn't make them fun, or meaningful, or memorable. Children need YOU. They need accountability, encouragement, and very often they need a bit of help. Even the most "complete" software is no replacement for a parent. I know this concept is foreign in a society that sends children off to be educated by someone else. It's a completely different mindset to be the educator. But moms and dads, you can --- and should --- be the educator. Even if you utilize online curriculum or video curriculum, be involved. Watch some lessons together. Check their work yourself. Discuss some of the topics. Add some family reading into the mix. Study the BIble together. Make it relational.
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