Nothing Terrifies Texas Leaders Like Kids Learning Slavery Was Bad
It looks like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has dusted off his CRT-sensing goggles and set his sights on Austin ISD — a district he claims is sneakily indoctrinating children with Pulitzer-Prize-winning history lessons.
On Monday, Paxton’s office announced it wants to haul in Austin ISD’s superintendent and school board for depositions, all part of an investigation into whether the district is stealth-teaching that bogeyman of Texas politics: critical race theory (side note: CRT? C’mon, Ken, whining about that was so four years ago).
Paxton’s evidence? Allegations of ties to the New York Times’ The 1619 Project, a body of work that dares to suggest America’s history might involve some uncomfortable truths about slavery and race.
“It’s outrageous that Austin ISD officials think they can ignore state law to put woke indoctrination in Texas classrooms,” Paxton harrumphed in a release.
(Also, not to pull my “I grew up in Texas” card, but unlike Paxton, I did. And even in Wichita Falls, my football coach history teachers taught us that slavery was bad, even worse than failing to establish the run.)
Anyway, apparently that’s illegal now. You might remember that Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2021 making sure The 1619 Project stayed far away from Texas classrooms — because nothing says “world-class education” like banning Pulitzer-winning journalism.
Paxton bravely says he’s protecting students from “liberal, anti-American ideology,” which apparently includes materials that explore the impact of slavery and feature Black voices. He’s especially concerned about remarks made by Stephanie Hawley, a former equity officer for the district, who once mentioned the use of Newsela — a platform that offers news-based content for classrooms. Some of those articles? Gasp. Linked to The 1619 Project.
Add that to a couple of “undercover interviews” by Accuracy in Media — a conservative group best known for ambushing educators and editing the footage within an inch of its context and whose president is a former Project Veritas officer — and you’ve got the recipe for a good old fashioned political spectacle.
Austin ISD has declined to comment on pending litigation, but others are happy to talk. Daphne Hoffacker of the Austin Council of PTAs minced no words, telling KUT that Paxton’s probe is a “waste of public resources” and a campaign stunt as he runs against John Cornyn in the upcoming Republican primary. (For the record, she is 100% right.)
And then there’s Dr. David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who reminded everyone that CRT — the actual academic theory — is taught in graduate-level coursework, not third-period social studies. He also pointed out to KUT that Texas schools have actual problems, like a teacher shortage and stagnant funding, but hey, why fix real issues when you can slap “woke” on everything and call it a day?
For those keeping score, this isn’t Paxton’s first rodeo. Just last month, he sued Coppell ISD near Dallas over similar allegations. That lawsuit, based on more of Accuracy in Media’s “investigative” work, quickly unraveled when Coppell ISD hit back with a counterclaim, calling the video “heavily edited” and “grossly misleading.” Eventually, both sides agreed to dismiss everything, but not before Paxton claimed victory in a press release, natch.
So here we are again: another headline, another school district, another investigation with thin evidence and thick political overtones that once again is embarrassing Texas in front of the rest of the country (in fairness, Oklahoma is probably fine with it). Maybe it’s about upholding the law. Or maybe it’s just campaign season.
Either way, it’s incredibly sad that public schools trying to teach students how to think critically about history have to worry if Big Brother might come knocking with a subpoena.
Which, of course, is exactly what Paxton wants.
