Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a significant court victory requiring Austin Independent School District (AISD) to halt any teaching of Critical Race Theory and fully comply with state law prohibiting such curriculum in public schools.
The court-approved agreement mandates that AISD’s superintendent ensure all principals and staff adhere to the Texas Education Code’s ban on CRT, while also prohibiting employees from advising parents or students on ways to circumvent the restrictions, according to documents released by the attorney general’s office.
“Critical race theory is anti-American propaganda and in no world will I allow the woke indoctrination of Texas children,” Paxton said in a statement following the ruling.
The legal action came after Paxton’s office discovered that AISD officials had allegedly implied they were using teaching materials connected to the 1619 Project — a New York Times initiative examining slavery’s role in American history that has been banned in Texas schools. Investigators also found evidence that district employees discussed “ways to get around” the state’s prohibition on CRT.
A Pattern of Enforcement
This isn’t the first time Paxton has targeted a school district over alleged violations of the state’s CRT ban. In March, his office sued Coppell ISD on similar grounds, though that lawsuit was eventually resolved after the district agreed to disavow CRT and comply with Texas law.
“Every school district must follow the law, and Coppell ISD is no exception,” Paxton said at the time. “The District made the right decision by working with my office to ensure that anti-American critical race theory is not taught in classrooms.”
Is this just the beginning? Paxton seems to suggest as much, warning other districts they could face similar scrutiny.
“While this order is an important step forward, I want to make clear to any school district considering any breach of this law: we will be watching,” he stated. “My office stands ready to defend Texas law and the rights of parents against any unlawful implementation of CRT.”
The investigation into Austin ISD went beyond mere inquiries. Paxton’s office took the unusual step of seeking depositions from district leaders as part of its probe into whether the district was using CRT-related curricula despite the ban, which was implemented by Governor Greg Abbott in 2021. “My office has begun the legal process to depose Austin ISD leaders, and we will fully investigate the district’s policies,” Paxton confirmed in a statement earlier in the investigation.
Under the agreed order, AISD must now direct all compliance inquiries to a designated administrator, creating a single point of accountability for adherence to the state’s educational restrictions.
The battle over how race and American history are taught in Texas classrooms continues to simmer, with Paxton’s office positioning itself as the enforcer of the state’s educational content restrictions — and promising that Austin won’t be the last district to face consequences if it steps over the line.
