Mr. Cruz and his allies have called Mr. Dewhurst a moderate "tax hiking" career politician, though Mr. Dewhurst has been in elected office since 1999 and has, by his own account, worked with Mr. Perry to cut taxes 51 times, balance five straight budgets without raising taxes, defend school prayer and prevent same-sex marriage.
In the case of Birmingham City Schools, an attorney defending school police has said that banning pepper spray would be hazardous.
By parading a handful of children before news agencies in the service of defending school privatization, charter school leaders reveal more about their desire to appear committed to diversity than about their genuine commitment to it.
One senate staffer explained that it would be impossible for the 14 to remain out, when budget bill deliberations actually get underway because they were needed to defend school children, the poor and the elderly against draconian cuts in the bill.
According to him, this would end a "bad policy" of not allowing administrators and teachers to defend schools from attackers.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families defended the school closures, which sent working parents scrambling for alternative child care arrangements.
On Wednesday, an Irving independent school district spokeswoman, Lesley Weaver, defended the school's decision to arrest Ahmed under Texas's "hoax bomb" statute after an English teacher reported the "suspicious" device to administrators.
Ms. Edwards asked why Mr. Gore had not sent his children to the same public schools he defended, the schools where millions of poor and lower middle class people have no choice but to send theirs.
Susan Blumstein, the school's vice president for external affairs, defended the school's timing.
