A group signing itself "The Students of Fort Worth ISD" has published an open letter asking the state-run district to loosen the scripted lessons rolled out this school year, and by Tuesday morning more than 900 people had signed it online, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The letter, posted Monday on Change.org and addressed to Superintendent Peter Licata, Gov. Greg Abbott and parents, argues that daily lessons built around district slides leave little room for discovery. "Instead of discovering, we're complying," it says.
What the students describe
The letter lists several complaints:
- Errors in materials. Students say slides and learning guides often do not match and contain spelling mistakes, translation errors in Spanish, and what one student believed was an AI-generated image in a French lesson.
- Partial books. In one English class reading "Don Quixote," students say they read some chapters, skip others and work from summaries.
- Classroom rules and walkthroughs. The letter describes timers, posters telling students how to sit when district visitors arrive, and observers with clipboards that leave teachers visibly stressed.
The students ask district leaders to give teachers room to use their own judgment. According to the Star-Telegram, signers range from second graders to seniors, the group met after school and on weekends to write the letter, and the idea grew out of a conversation with City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who suggested an open letter.
The Star-Telegram also reported finding AI-generated images with errors in approved elementary lesson materials it reviewed.
