‘Undercover interview' leads to Texas AG investigation into Austin ISD
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the Austin Independent School District after his office said it was made aware of a claim that top officials 'implemented an unwritten policy of developing and teaching curricula in the (district) in violation of state law prohibiting instruction on critical race theory (CRT) and related topics,' a court document said.
Texas Legislature bans critical race theory from classrooms
Critical race theory is a concept that looks at how race relations have shaped the current social, cultural and legal world in the present time. It was banned from being taught in Texas classrooms in 2021.
Paxton's office is accusing AISD's school board of breaking state law, and he wants to depose each trustee as part of the investigation.
AISD said it does not comment on pending litigation.
A press release from the AG's office accuses an AISD official of teaching with material from the 'banned' 1619 Project.
'Additionally, another employee stated that there were 'ways to get around' the state's ban on CRT and discussed that the district's board and superintendent are heavily involved in evaluating and setting policy for the district,' the release said.
According to a court document, Accuracy in Media, a conservative nonprofit media group, filmed an 'undercover interview' in April 2022 with AISD's former Equity Officer, Dr. Stephanie Hawley.
Texas educators worry bill limiting the teaching of historic racism, current events would 'whitewash history
'Dr. Hawley explained that the District used Newsela to introduce different viewpoints into the classroom and that 'progressive' teachers use Newsela and other resources to educate Kindergarten through third grade students,' a court document said. 'Dr. Hawley stated that Newsela 'lets us stay out of trouble with the Legislature' because it offers different perspectives.'
The Attorney General's office added in its court filing that the instructional tool Newslea is linked to the 1619 Project, which has been banned in Texas. The 1619 Project, an initiative of the New York Times, looks to 'reframe the country's history by placing consequences of slavery and the the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.'
Newslea, which launched in 2013, said it aims to provide what it calls meaningful classroom learning for all students.
This story will be updated by Jala Washington.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Roughly 1,100 applications submitted by former federal workers amid Austin hiring campaign
AUSTIN (KXAN) — President Donald Trump's promise to cut federal workforce is starting to show in the latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor, which indicated 22,000 fewer federal government jobs in the last month alone. In response to the president's letting go of some federal workforce, the city of Austin re-launched a recruitment effort its used in the past called the Get Hired campaign — this time aimed at those federal workers. 'We value public servants': Austin targeting federal staff let go by Trump administration The city said between March 21 and May 23, the duration of that campaign, the city received roughly 1,100 applications from former federal employees. Of those folks, 30 now work for the city, according to the city's human resource director, Susan Sinz. 'It is good to see that with that previous federal experience, how much we benefit from that….they understand customer service, I think they understand citizen engagement and they really understand how to be a servant leader and in our community that's what we're looking for,' Sinz said. On average, the city has 100 vacancies at any given time, though that includes everything — lifeguards, librarians, police officers — and those vacancies fluctuate greatly based on season. The city employs roughly 17,000 people, Sinz noted. Though that program targeting federal employees wrapped up late last month, Sinz hopes those folks will continue to keep their sights set on our city. 'We are excited to have them explore employment here at the city of Austin and really wish them a super long career here,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas House newcomers champion causes close to home
AUSTIN (KXAN)–The 89th Texas Legislative Session concluded with 31 new state representatives completing their first 140 days in office, representing more than 20% of the House chamber. Among these freshman lawmakers were Republican Don McLaughlin of District 80 in south Texas and Democrat Lauren Ashley Simmons of District 146 in the Houston area. Each brought distinct backgrounds and legislative priorities to Austin. The freshman class emerged from elections that shifted the House composition to 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats, with Republicans gaining two additional seats. McLaughlin, who previously served as mayor of Uvalde during the tragic 2022 school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, focused his legislative efforts on improving law enforcement response protocols. His signature legislation, the Uvalde Strong Act, passed both chambers and awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. 'What I see in this bill, more than anything, is if an agency shows up, all these agencies have been training together, supposed to be meeting together now, so if the first agency on the scene does nothing, the second agency immediately knows what to do, then we won't have that chaos and that indecision that we saw that day at Uvalde,' McLaughlin said in an interview with KXAN's Will DuPree shortly after the session ended. The legislation would mandate annual training exercises between school districts and law enforcement agencies, require crisis response policies and establish reporting requirements for active shooter incidents. McLaughlin acknowledged the painful necessity behind his legislation. 'It's very meaningful. I'm ecstatic over but same token, I'm sad that we had to pass a law like this,' he said. On the Democratic side, Simmons was recognized by her colleagues as Freshman of the Year within the House Democratic Caucus. Despite serving in the minority party, she successfully advanced multiple pieces of legislation, with at least 11 bills bearing her name awaiting the governor's signature and five additional measures she co-authored or co-sponsored set to become law. Her most personal legislative achievement was House Bill 107, which would establish a Sickle Cell Disease Registry in Texas. The measure represents a personal fight for the Houston Democrat. 'My daughter has sickle cell disease. That was a bill I watched very closely. I was in tears when it did not become law, but I just couldn't. I had no idea that I would be in the legislature, and I would be that person that was able to bring that bill back,' Simmons said in an interview with KXAN's Will Dupree. The legislation represents a second attempt after a similar measure was vetoed by Abbott in 2023. Simmons worked to address the governor's previous concerns while maintaining the bill's core purpose. 'We made sure that we address the concerns that came from the governor's office, and so we are very confident with those you know, updates to that bill,' she said. Both lawmakers expressed exhaustion but satisfaction with their first legislative experience. McLaughlin highlighted additional accomplishments including judicial pay raises, bail reform measures and infrastructure improvements for economically distressed border communities in his district. 'You know, I think it was good. I think we had a really good session. You know, did we please everybody? Probably not, but I think we got a lot of good things done for the state of Texas in this session,' McLaughlin said. Simmons emphasized the magnitude of conducting state business for Texas, the nation's second-largest state by both population and economy, within the constraints of a biennial 140-day session. 'Being able to see how much work we're able to do, all the things that we're able to do for not just our individual districts that we represent, but for the millions of people in this state. It's such an honor. It's a heavy task. It's a heavy lift,' she said. The freshman class faced the challenge of learning legislative procedures while advancing their policy priorities. Simmons noted the complexity of the process, saying she 'gained a lot of respect for the process when you see just how many ways a bill can die.' As the session concluded, both representatives expressed commitment to continued advocacy for their constituents. McLaughlin indicated he would closely monitor the governor's action on the Uvalde Strong Act, while Simmons vowed to maintain her opposition to the state takeover of Houston Independent School District, which was extended through 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Hawley breaks with Republicans to oppose a major crypto bill
While the clash between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump captivated Washington on Thursday, another drama was playing out behind closed doors over a bill to regulate the $250 billion market for stablecoins, which could transform America's relationship with the dollar, upend the credit card industry, and benefit both Musk and Trump. The bill, the GENIUS Act, is poised to pass the Senate within days. But a prominent Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, said that he will vote against the bill in its current form, warning that it would hand too much control of America's financial system to tech giants. 'It's a huge giveaway to Big Tech,' Hawley said in an interview. Hawley, who previously voted against the bill, is concerned that the legislation would allow tech giants to create digital currencies that compete with the dollar. And he fears that such companies would then be motivated to collect even more data on users' finances. 'It allows these tech companies to issue stablecoins without any kind of controls,' he said. 'I don't see why we would do that.' Similar worries scuttled an effort by Meta to get into stablecoins. In 2019, Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, among others, raised 'serious concerns' about Meta's cryptocurrency initiative, called Libra and then Diem. It abandoned the project in 2022. The GENIUS Act has exposed divisions in both parties. Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts oppose the bill, warning it would make it easier for Trump, whose family announced its own USD1 stablecoin in March, to engage in corrupt practices. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor of the bill, has argued that it would provide regulatory clarity to the industry, and contends that the legislation includes 'robust consumer protections.' Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., a co-sponsor, said the bill would bolster demand for U.S. Treasury notes and bonds, as well as the dollar. Stablecoins are often backed by short-term U.S. Treasurys and dollar deposits. Yet there are other Republican skeptics in the Senate that include Rand Paul of Kentucky, John Kennedy of Louisiana and Jerry Moran of Kansas. Paul has argued that the bill would add needless federal regulations. Hawley's frustrations with the bill have only grown as the bill took shape. His office submitted an amendment that would place limits on Big Tech's push into stablecoins. Hawley's draft amendment was used as the basis for writing a new provision requiring that publicly listed, nonfinancial companies such as Meta secure approval from a new regulatory body called the Stablecoin Certification Review Committee before it could issue stablecoins. That provision has gained traction with other senators. But Hawley says Republican negotiators 'gutted' key parts of his amendment that would safeguard against the risks of letting tech companies issue their own digital currencies, and that he no longer supports it. 'It's essentially window dressing,' he said. Some Democrats oppose the proposed guardrails, but for another reason: that they could benefit Musk, according to a person familiar with the discussions. These lawmakers worry that private companies including Musk's X and OpenAI would not have to undergo the more stringent regulatory vetting process. Such companies 'could issue stablecoins with abandon, and that seems tailor-drafted for Elon Musk and his X platform,' said Hilary Allen, a professor at American University's Washington College of Law. Musk recently announced that X Money, a crypto token designed for payments on his social media platform, would enter beta testing soon. X Money did not respond to a request for comment. (Several Republicans said that Musk wasn't a factor in drafting the bill. Lawmakers had considered sorting companies based on revenue or user count, but ultimately decided on the public-versus-private test as the cleanest way to capture such firms, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.) Democrats plan to introduce an amendment that would bar Big Tech companies -- publicly traded and private -- from creating their own stablecoins, according to a person with knowledge of the plan. Hawley said he would support such an amendment but was skeptical of its prospects. There is also a potential clash with the House. While the White House is pressuring Congress to pass the GENIUS Act, a competing House bill, the STABLE Act, calls for different regulatory requirements and a two-year moratorium on certain kinds of stablecoins. That, and the CLARITY Act, a recently proposed bill defining the broader market structure for digital assets, could complicate what shape a law would resemble. 'I've heard everything' is still on the table, said Tim Massad, a research fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and former chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
