And on the local front:

Violations of Missouri ‘Sunshine Law’ can result in some pretty heft fines. For the people who continually say ‘We don’t teach CRT!” they sure do a lot of complaining about people wanting proof.

Missouri Attorney General Sues Springfield School District Over Refusal To Turn Over Critical Race Training Records.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against Springfield Public Schools for violating the state’s sunshine laws, saying SPS failed to provide documents his office requested after parents complained of lessons and curriculum based on Critical Race Theory (CRT).

On November 16, 2021, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against Springfield Public Schools for violating the state’s sunshine laws. Schmitt says Springfield failed to provide documents his office requested after parents complained of lessons and curriculum based on Critical Race Theory (CRT).

In a press release announcing the action, the AG’s office said, in part:

Upon questioning by the Attorney General’s Office, Springfield Public Schools admitted that they’ve provided equity training to students in the GO CAPS program for the past three school years. In May of 2021, Springfield Public Schools reported that it had formed a “Culturally Relevant Curriculum Review” and adopted a Culturally Responsible Scorecard to implement a social justice evaluation of core curriculum, including math.

After the Springfield Public Schools School Board limited public comments and Springfield Public Schools announced that they would not release training materials to the public, the Attorney General’s Office filed a Sunshine Law request on behalf of concerned parents to find out exactly how frequently critical race theory and antiracism materials and teachings were supplied or taught to students.

In response, Springfield Public Schools provided a fee estimate that demanded an initial deposit of $37,000. The lawsuit alleges, “Springfield Public Schools violated § 610.026.2 [the Sunshine Law] by demanding a deposit for items or services other than copies as a precondition to making public records available to the Attorney General’s Office.”

Schmitt also put together a lengthy thread on twitter sharing details his office had learned about the teacher trainings.

This despite denials from state officials that CRT is being taught in Missouri schools. As noted at criticalrace.org/states/missouri:

Missouri officials, all the way up to Republican Governor Mike Parson, insist CRT is not being taught in K-12 schools, while also proudly proclaiming their support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the schools. (source: https://themissouritimes.com/parson-missouri-schools-teach-diversity-not-critical-race-theory/) They claim these concepts are unrelated, but several organizations in Missouri have called them out as they continue to dodge the issue. Meanwhile, the Attorney General for Missouri has joined with 20 other state attorneys general in a letter to the US Department of Education urging it to reject CRT standards when awarding grants. (source: https://ago.mo.gov/home/news/2021/05/20/missouri-attorney-general-joins-20-state-coalition-urging-department-of-education-to-reject-critical-race-theory-in-nation-s-school-curriculum)

K-12 Education

The Show Me Institute has uncovered many instances of CRT in school districts across Missouri. (https://showmeinstitute.org/blog/transparency/yes-mr-pratt-critical-race-theory-is-being-taught-and-trained-in-missouri-k-12/) They have done so via public records requests at the district level. There is nothing mandated by the Missouri Department of K-12 and Secondary Education. Bills banning the teaching of CRT and the 1619 Project failed to advance in the 2021 legislative session.

The issue of CRT in public schools has caused a firestorm of controversy in Missouri. In response to the lawsuit, the SPS spokesperson released a statement:

Springfield Public Schools spokesperson Stephen Hall said the district “has been in ongoing communication with the AG’s office about his records requests.”

“SPS is disappointed by the Attorney General’s decision to use the power of his office to attack public education,” he said in a statement. “This is an attempt to intimidate SPS, and while it will not prevail, it will unfortunately require considerable taxpayer resources to defend.

“These efforts represent a loud, divisive, and misguided distraction,” he added. “SPS has been very clear: critical race theory is not being taught in our classrooms. Our work is focused on equity, not CRT. SPS is being intentional in the educational experiences we provide all of our students. Ensuring our district is equitable and inclusive is our ethical responsibility to make SPS safe for all students and staff. Any deliberate attempt to misrepresent this important work, especially for political purposes, is shameful indeed.”

According to the Springfield News-Leader, most school districts have denied incorporating CRT into their curriculum. Only one school district, Kansas City, responded in the positive to a survey about CRT in public schools, although two districts denied it while admitting the 1619 Project was being taught. Springfield has repeatedly insisted they don’t use CRT, even in the face of examples provided by Schmitt in the AG’s lawsuit.

One may note at this point that CRT does not actually appear in the curriculum or any lesson plans in SPS, and such an observation would seem accurate. However, the examples cited by Schmitt in the lawsuit indicate the lens through which the district expects teachers and administrators to craft their lesson plans, so the effect ends up the same. One should also remember that SPS has withheld a significant amount of documents requested by the AG’s office, so there is still a less than complete picture of what’s happening in those schools.