List Of Texas School Districts Still Teaching Critical Race Theory Despite Law Banning It
Texas Governor Greg Abbott didn't think those laws went far enough, so in September of 2021 he signed into law a new bill more strictly banning the teaching of controversial philosophies which opponents call "Critical Race Theory" in Texas public schools. It hasn't worked.
In the spring of 2021 the state of Texas legislature passed two laws aimed at stopping school teachers from using controversial theories centered around race and equity in their classrooms. Texas Governor Greg Abbott didn’t think those laws went far enough, so in September of 2021 he signed into law a new bill more strictly banning the teaching of controversial philosophies which opponents call “Critical Race Theory” in Texas public schools. It hasn’t worked.
Parents in various Facebook groups for and against the law have been tracking whether school districts are following the law, and documenting cases where they’ve created ways to get around it. One of the chief tools currently being used by more activist oriented public school teachers to continue teaching critical race theory is called Brainpop.
Parents who hear their kids are watching Brainpop videos in their classrooms likely assume they are controversy-free educational tools which, at worst, are really just a way for lazy teachers to play videos in lieu of standing in front of the class at teaching. Their website is structured with bright, friendly colors and contains videos on a number of innocuous educational topics aimed at elementary school kids.
That’s only the surface though. If you dig deeper (which most parents won’t) you’ll discover BrainPop’s videos and detailed lesson plans actually work hard to educate children with content which opponents would clearly classify as “critical race theory” doctrine.
On BrainPop’s website they state: “We believe it’s important to conduct regular critical analyses of our content to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion.” They further detail their ideas in an in-depth PDF called Equity In Learning With BrainPop. Parents opposed to what they dub “critical race theory” claim BrainPop lies to children about race and pushes them towards what they believe is controversial gender ideology.
Supporters also agree that BrainPop is an avenue for teaching anti-racism and other things that opponents classify as Critical Race Theory. They’d prefer not to call it CRT, but there’s no argument that BrainPop isn’t an avenue for spreading equity, gender theory, and anti-racism. The debate is only over whether it should be used in schools. And in Texas, it’s illegal to teach what BrainPop is teaching kids.
But, Texas law has not stopped determined teachers from continuing to use BrainPop to mold the minds of their students. How widespread is BrainPop’s use in Texas schools after the new law? Here’s a partial list of Texas school districts currently using BrainPop to teach “Critical Race Theory” ideology, as reported to us by parents who are both for and against its use…
- Austin ISD
- Arlington ISD
- Carroll ISD
- Grapevine/Colleyville ISD
- Gregory-Portland ISD
- Hays CISD
- Houston ISD
- Lake Travis ISD
- Lamar CISD
- Leander ISD
- Los Fresnos CISD
- Northeast Side ISD, San Antonio
- Northside ISD, San Antonio
- Plano ISD
- Pflugerville ISD
- Schleicher County ISD, Eldorado
- Richardson ISD
- Snook ISD
- Victoria ISD
We have confirmed that some school districts have, however, recently banned the use of BrainPop. As of this writing we’ve only been able to confirm two.
- Keller ISD
- Clear Creek ISD
If you’re opposed to ideas like Critical Race Theory, then this is probably a list of schools you’ll want to pull your kids out of. If you’re in favor of those teachings, it’s a handy guide to where you might want to move if you’re hoping your kids grow up to be equity activists.
