Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Coppell Independent School District for violating state laws by allegedly teaching critical race theory in its classrooms.
The lawsuit comes after a video showed Evan Whitfield, director of curriculum and instruction for Coppell ISD, discussing how the district circumvents state prohibitions.
When asked if teachers can teach “what’s right” behind closed doors, Whitfield replied, “Shh, that’s what we do.”
The video, released by Accuracy in Media, features an undercover journalist appearing concerned about the Texas ban on CRT for K-12 students.
In the first part of the video, which was previously released in 2023, Whitfield stated that despite state standards, Coppell ISD does “what’s right” and tells state authorities “We’re just not teaching that.”
CRT posits that racism is systemic and embedded in institutions rather than solely based on individual prejudices. Texas law prohibits educators from teaching that one race or sex is inherently superior to another or that individuals are inherently racist or oppressive based on their race or sex.
In the footage, Whitfield admits Coppell ISD has “gotten around” the state’s rules by simply denying it is teaching CRT. He also bragged about using the “Next Generation Science Standards” curriculum, which has not been approved by the State Board of Education.
Additionally, Whitfield mentioned using textbooks with similar approaches to “environmental education,” which have been rejected in the past.
Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to prevent Coppell ISD from teaching CRT and using taxpayer funds for CRT materials.
“Liberal administrators who want to ignore state law and unlawfully push divisive and racist CRT curriculum in classrooms will be held responsible for their actions,” said Paxton. “Texas children deserve to receive the best education in the world, not have woke ideology forced upon them.”
Coppell ISD has faced previous legal challenges related to CRT.
In 2023, a family sued the district after their son was given a CRT-based assignment in a chemistry class. The assignment required students to research diverse atomic theory scientists, excluding “old, dead, white guys.” The family alleged discrimination and retaliation after reporting the incident.
Coppell ISD did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication, as the district is currently on spring break.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
