Manipulated video of Coppell ISD ‘political fodder’ in ‘school choice’ fight, filing says

DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports that Coppell ISD officials want Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against the district thrown out saying it is “political fodder” against public schools based on a manipulated hidden-video recording, according to court filings. Officials allege in their counterclaim filed Tuesday that efforts to discredit Coppell and other public schools’ educators are being made to influence debates over school choice. “Why? To provide the Attorney General with political fodder against public school districts such as CISD during the current debate and upcoming votes in the Texas Legislature about private school vouchers and public school funding,” the filing read. “This is an improper purpose.” Coppell ISD officials said they could not comment on pending litigation when reached Friday.

In a recent message to parents and staff, Superintendent Brad Hunt addressed the suit and wrote the district is “committed to providing a high-quality education that follows the state curriculum.” The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. In March, Paxton accused Coppell school officials of breaking state law by teaching students critical race theory and pushing “woke ideology.” The attorney general’s office referred to a hidden camera recording filmed by a group called Accuracy in Media that appeared to show a Coppell ISD administrator evading the state’s “prohibitions on the use of CRT in state policies and curricula,” according to a statement from his office announcing the suit. Critical race theory is a framework that explores how policies and laws uphold systemic racism. It was largely debated in academia. In recent years, many conservatives conflated it with work aimed at making schools more equitable for students. In 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law to eliminate critical race theory from schools.