Ken Paxton drops “critical race theory” lawsuit against Coppell ISD

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has dropped a lawsuit against Coppell ISD alleging the district was teaching critical race theory in violation of state law.

A Dallas County judge last week granted a joint notice of nonsuit, effectively dismissing the suit.

In March Paxton sued Coppell ISD for teaching “woke and hateful Critical Race Theory” – the idea that racism is systemic and engrained in public policy, and the basis of a legal framework dating back to the 1970s. While it’s generally taught in post-grad and law schools, Texas bars it in K-12 classrooms, though opponents of "CRT" have pointed to lessons about racism and other social justice topics as examples.

In response to the state’s allegations, the district sought sanctions against the attorney general’s office, saying Paxton’s accusations were based on two-year-old, undercover videos that were “heavily edited and manipulated so to be grossly misleading.”

“The facts will show that the Attorney General’s lawsuit alleging violations of the Education Code is frivolous, unreasonable, and without foundation,” the court filing read.

The video’s creator, conservative activist group Accuracy in Media, stood by its claims but did not provide unedited footage as requested earlier this year by KERA.

KERA has reached out to the attorney general’s office and Coppell ISD and will update this story with any response.

Paxton last week sued Austin ISD over similar claims the district is teaching CRT.

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