By: Naden Ramirez
W. B. Ray High School
Babylonians, Egyptians, the ancient Greeks, and many other ancient societies believed that the earth was flat for centuries. In the modern world, we no longer believe in this idea, as the concept that the Earth is round and spherical is taught in schools worldwide. However, HB042 seeks to change this in Texas, as it requires the state of Texas and all Texas public institutions to recognize the Earth as flat, as written by Grace Ford, a senior at Liberal Arts Science Academy.
The bill includes provisions such as Section II. a. The TEA will work to update the curriculum to align with the fact that the Earth is flat. It also includes Section II c. All public institutions other than educational institutions must ensure they do not propagate false information that the Earth is anything other than flat. A penalty of the bill includes Section III. a. Failure of the public institutions to recognize the Earth as flat and adhere to relevant teaching will cause the revocation of all its state funds.
At a glance, this bill seems incredibly intriguing and very strange to some, but when you find out the backstory of the bill, it becomes a lot more lighthearted. Grace Ford lacked an idea for her bill and so she left it up to the choice of her friend Connor, stating that “I couldn’t think of an idea for a bill, so [Connor] was like, ‘Hey, I have an idea,’ and I was like, ‘Great, I’ll do that, no matter what the topic may be and that’s how I ended up here.’” The lighthearted beginnings of the bill don’t detract from the fact that when it was time, she was a strong proponent of her bill.
During the actual proposal of her bill, she truly immersed herself in the character, stating that the origins of her bill came from her “Extensive research into the Illuminati and the medieval ages and how, in fact, the Earth is flat and how we’ve been taught this lie for so long that so many people believe it’s propaganda and false.” She also argued for the proposal of her bill as “We’re at a very pivotal time in our history where if we don’t stand up to the illuminati now, we’re going to get taken over.”
Although the actual concept of a bill that proposes teaching the earth is flat in schools is a rather incomprehensible idea, the fact that we should “ensure that we are a state of free thinkers” and allow for open and honest discussion is very important and relevant to our current political climate. Despite the fact that the bill wasn’t passed, Grace Ford demonstrated incredible commitment to her bill and her backstory behind it, allowing for a compelling story inside and outside of her bill.
