Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is making moves to procure documents from two school districts, Cypress-Fairbanks and Grapevine-Colleyville ISDs, as part of an investigation that digs into potential connections these schools might have with the Islamic Games of North America and its alleged ties to CAIR, which has recently been designated under Texas law as a foreign terrorist organization. The investigation focuses on a now-cancelled event that had been planned at Bridgeland High School and another scheduled, and possibly also cancelled, event at Colleyville Heritage High School.
Attorney General Paxton, in a bid to root out what he refers to as "the spread of radical Islam in Texas," has called for an immediate halt to any school district affiliations with CAIR, especially if those ties are seen as promoting or partnering with FTO-connected entities. After an announcement made by the Islamic Games of North America to host an event sponsored by CAIR NJ—a chapter of CAIR—Paxton swiftly mandated that the school districts hand over their communication records, contracts, and other documents related to the events in question. As reported by the Texas Attorney General's Office, Paxton states, "I will ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not materially supporting activities by Islamist terrorists in violation of Texas law."
This legal drama unfolded in the wake of Governor Greg Abbott's move in November 2025, when CAIR was formally dubbed a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization by state definitions. Abbott has since made clear to school officials that any such "illegal activity" involving public school property was out of the question under Texas law. These developments have placed Cypress-Fairbanks and Grapevine-Colleyville ISDs in the hot seat as they comply—or face the consequences—with Paxton's aggressive document requests.
As Texas’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Paxton's push for information compliance aligns with the Governor's earlier warnings. Together, both officials have taken a staunch stance, citing a desire to shield Texas taxpayers from inadvertently funding organizations labeled as terrorists under state laws. This action comes amid a period of heightened scrutiny and growing political and legal pressures around educational programming, stoking a broader debate surrounding the intersection of education, religion, and national security, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.
