Aicha Davis (D - incumbent) compared with Will Campbell (R - candidate)
Comparing Aicha Davis to Will Campbell on the Issues
Review each topic, watch the short comparison video, and open the supporting details. All topics discussed have in-line citations and annotated bibliographies with links that should open in a new tab. If any source links are broken, please contact us so we can update accordingly.
SB 12 placed a parental-rights protection directly in the Texas Education Code and required school districts and state entities to meet a high legal standard before infringing a parent’s protected decision-making authority.
The comparison
Who should make the key decisions about a child’s upbringing, education, and care?
Rep. Aicha Davis voted Nay when the Texas House gave SB 12 final passage on May 25, 2025. That single final-passage vote covered the bill as a whole, including its parental-rights provisions in new Education Code §1.009 and amended §§26.001 and 26.0025. The official House Journal records Davis among the 47 members voting Nay; it does not, by itself, establish her personal reason for voting against the bill. (Texas House of Representatives, 2025).
I support preserving SB 12’s parental-rights foundation: parents—not school officials—should direct their own child’s moral and religious upbringing, education, and medical, psychiatric, and psychological care. I will also pursue enforceable remedies so parents, citizens, and public-school personnel can hold districts accountable when legally required child-protection policies are not followed.
Open the record, context, sources, and annotated references
What the record shows
SB 12 added Education Code §1.009. The new statute identifies parents’ rights to direct a child’s moral and religious training, make decisions concerning the child’s education, and consent to the child’s medical, psychiatric, and psychological treatment. It states that a public elementary or secondary school or state governmental entity may not infringe those rights unless the infringement is necessary to further a compelling state interest and is narrowly tailored using the least restrictive means. (Texas Legislature Online, 2025a, § 1).
The bill also amended Education Code §26.001 to describe parents as partners with educators, administrators, and school boards in their children’s education. Except where another law provides otherwise, the statute directs boards, administrators, educators, and other persons to comply with §1.009 and not limit parental rights or withhold information from a parent regarding that parent’s child. The same section recognizes that a district’s actions taken in accordance with other law—including the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act—do not constitute withholding information under that provision. (Texas Legislature Online, 2025a, § 11).
Section 11 also requires districts to give parents information about statutory rights and options at a child’s first enrollment and at the beginning of each school year. That required information includes rights and options concerning course study, instructional and library materials, health education, instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, school options, immunizations, data collection practices, health-care services, grievances, and special education, bilingual education, and special-language programs. The Texas Education Agency was directed to develop a form for this purpose, and districts must post the form prominently on their websites. (Texas Legislature Online, 2025a, § 11).
SB 12 further added Education Code §26.0025, which states: “A parent is entitled to choose the educational setting for the parent’s child, including public school, private school, or home school.” (Texas Legislature Online, 2025a, § 12). The enrolled act applies beginning with the 2025–2026 school year. (Texas Legislature Online, 2025a, § 30).
The Texas House passed SB 12 with amendments on third reading on May 25, 2025, by 88 Yeas, 47 Nays, and three present, not voting, in Record Vote 3506. Rep. Davis is listed in the Nays. Because this was one vote on the full bill, the official vote record establishes her opposition to final passage but does not independently prove agreement or disagreement with every individual provision or establish her personal rationale. (Texas House of Representatives, 2025).
My position is that these protections should be treated as a starting point, not the final word. A statutory right is strongest when families have a clear, practical way to enforce it. I support legislation that gives affected parents, citizens, and public-school personnel standing to seek compliance when a district or library does not follow child-protection and parental-rights requirements. That proposed enforcement mechanism is separate from SB 12 itself and should be evaluated on the final text of the proposed legislation once published.
Annotated references
References are alphabetized by author or organization. Each annotation identifies the precise record the source establishes and its relevant limitation.
Texas House of Representatives. (2025, May 25). House journal: Eighty-ninth Legislature, regular session, seventy-third day.
Annotation: This official House Journal records third-reading final passage of SB 12 in Record Vote 3506: 88 Yeas, 47 Nays, and three present, not voting. It lists Rep. Aicha Davis among the Nays and is the primary source for the vote claim in this module. The Journal establishes the roll call and legislative action; it does not state Davis’s individual reason for voting Nay.
Texas Legislature Online. (2025a). Senate Bill 12, 89th Legislature, regular session: Enrolled bill text. Texas Legislative Council.
Annotation: This is the final enrolled statutory text for SB 12. Sections 1, 11, and 12 establish the parental-rights protection in Education Code §1.009, amend parental-rights and annual-notice requirements in §26.001, and add the educational-setting right in §26.0025. Section 30 supplies the 2025–2026 school-year applicability date. The bill text establishes the law’s language but does not establish how an individual House member voted.