Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Coppell Independent School District (ISD), accusing the district of bypassing state rules by including critical race theory (CRT) in its curriculum, despite a statewide ban. The lawsuit follows a video showing the ISD's curriculum director, Evan Whitfield, admitting to tactics for evading the ban.

According to the Texas Attorney General's office, Whitfield can be heard discussing how Coppell ISD "had gotten around" the ban "by saying we’re not teaching [CRT]." Whitfield mentioned in the video, when asked about teaching "what's right" behind closed doors, "Shh, that’s what we do." This revelation has drawn sharp criticism and legal action from the state's top legal official.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges the district's use of the "Next Generation Science Standards" curriculum, which has never secured approval from the Texas State Board of Education. It's been reported that textbooks espousing similar concepts on environmental education were previously rejected by state authorities. Paxton, in rallying against what he deems unlawful educational practices, stated, "Texas children deserve to receive the best education in the world, not have woke ideology forced upon them," a statement obtained by the Texas Attorney General's office.

"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," Paxton declared, unfolding the intent behind his lawsuit. In a move committed to putting an end to "this illegal and hateful curriculum," the attorney general's legal action targets what he views as a "blatant refusal to follow state law by certain officials" at Coppell ISD. On record, the legal pursuit by Texas' Attorney General serves as another chapter in the ongoing national debate over educational content and the authority of local versus state bodies in determining curriculum for students.