Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Coppel School officials for teaching “critical racial theory” in response to a compiled video by conservative activists that appeared to be shown to school administrators discussing ways to avoid state education standards.
In the video, someone identified as a district’s director of curriculum and instruction can be seen talking about the prohibition on how Coppel ‘reached’ regarding the use of so-called CRT in state policies and curriculum by saying, “We don’t teach that.”
The administrator, identified in the video as Evan Whitfield, is asked at one point whether Coppel’s school is being forced by Texas to teach an inaccurate “Maga version of History.”
“One of the things I like about this district is that despite what our state standards say, we do the right thing to our kids, despite what you know,” the guy can say.
“Critical Race Theory” – The idea that racism is systematic and fascinated by law and public policy is a legal framework dating back to the 1970s, taught almost exclusively in graduate schools and law schools.
However, in recent years, the term has been used beyond its original definition. For example, Texas law banning “CRT” in classrooms limits the way teachers talk about current events in the classroom.
The man identified as Whitfield can be heard discussing the “Next Generation Science Standards” curriculum, which is used in at least 20 states in the United States but has not been approved by the Texas Board of Education.
The curriculum rejected by the state for environmental education content focuses on the gravity of climate change, the direct human impacts, and policy solutions for climate change.
Kera will contact the district for comment and update this story with any responses.
“Liberal administrators who disregard state law and want to illegally promote divisive and racist CRT curricula in their classrooms will be held accountable for their actions,” read Paxton’s statement Wednesday. “Texas kids deserve the best education in the world and have no awakened ideology forced upon them. My lawsuit aims to quickly end this illegal and hateful curriculum and immediately stop any blatant refusal to follow state laws by certain officials of Coppel ISD.”
In 2021, Gov. Governor Greg Abbott signed a controversial bill that restricts how Texas teachers talk about current events and the history of American racism in the classroom. The law was intended to ban education on “critical racial theory” in K-12 public school classrooms.
The lawsuit alleges that district officials acted as government officials and violated state law “by developing and distributing them to teach CRT curriculum using state or local funds or other district resources.”
Paxton seeks injunctive relief banning future teachings of critical racial theory.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Penelope Rivera is Kera’s broken news reporter. Do you have a tip? Email Penelope@kera.org.
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