South Carolina school district ends contract with company after GOP group sued over CRT

close

Video

Publishing giant's 'anti-racism' pledge pushes teaching CRT in schools: report

An upcoming Heritage Foundation argues that Pearson's commitment to embedding anti-racism in teaching and learning means the publishing giant is pushing critical race theory.

A South Carolina school district will end an agreement with an education company that has been accused of teaching critical race theory following a Carolina Freedom Caucus lawsuit.

The Freedom Caucus hailed a settlement with the Lexington County School District One as a win against critical race theory in education. The settlement requires the district to terminate its contract with EL Education after an employee was caught describing how to circumvent South Carolina's anti-CRT law, the Freedom Caucus said in a press release.

South Carolina has a budget stipulation which prohibits critical race theory-derived ideas through the school funding process. The school district denied in statements to Fox News Digital that it ever violated the law.

The settlement in the Lexington Court of Common Pleas requires the Lexington district, which contains 31 schools and more than 28,000 students, to fully comply with all South Carolina laws prohibiting CRT instruction and training for students, teachers, and other staff. 

RED STATES OUTPACING PROGRESSIVE-RUN STATES IN 'RACIAL EQUALITY IN EDUCATION,' NEW STUDY REVEALS

"The terms of this settlement agreement show Lexington School District One was caught red-handed peddling the Left’s pernicious, racist nonsense," South Carolina Freedom Caucus vice chairman RJ May said. "This is a win for the Freedom Caucus, for parents, but most importantly, this is a win for students who will no longer be subjected to radical, liberal indoctrination by the District."

In October, the South Carolina Freedom Caucus obtained a five-minute recording of Tarika Sullivan, a professional development specialist for EL Education, saying the education non-profit has "allies" and "co-conspirators" who are willing to teach outlawed CRT concepts "even if [they] get in trouble."

Sullivan touted the tenets of CRT, including "culturally relevant pedagogy" and considering what "parts of your identity are privileged." EL Education works with a number of South Carolina schools in developing curriculum that "goes against mainstream teaching," she said. 

"Antiracism" is "at the core" of EL Education's curriculum, its website says. 

People hold up signs during a rally against "critical race theory" (CRT) being taught in schools. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Freedom Caucus chairman Adam Morgan said the caucus will continue fighting for parents, teachers, and students. The Freedom Caucus is part of an ongoing lawsuit with the Charleston County School District for also teaching suspected CRT-derived ideas.

"Career politicians, afraid to take on the teacher unions and education establishment, gaslit parents across South Carolina when we filed this lawsuit by claiming CRT wasn’t in our classrooms," Morgan said. 

CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM DECLINES TO BACK REPARATIONS CHECKS, SAYS SLAVERY'S LEGACY IS ‘MORE THAN CASH PAYMENTS’

The Lexington County district's curriculum includes several books which promote critical race theory, according to the Freedom Caucus’ 31-page complaint. 

Students line up to enter their respective classrooms. (Craig Hudson)

According to the Freedom Caucus' lawsuit, students read "This Book is Anti-Racist" by Tiffany Jewell, which teaches children that "if you are white," one automatically has "internalized racial superiority," and "The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person," which states, "We have a White people problem." The school district denied that allegation in court.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Teachers in the district have also conducted "privilege tests," in which White students were separated across a room from "oppressed" minority students, the Freedom Caucus complaint says. 

"Despite the naysayers, the Freedom Caucus persevered, and won," Morgan said. "It’s time for our moderate Republican colleagues to support the conservative values the SCFC is championing."

Lexington County School District One released a statement stating it conducted an internal review of the EL Education curriculum and found no violations of state law, but pursued the settlement to avoid a lengthy legal battle.

"Contesting this lawsuit would have redirected district resources, including employees’ time and attention, as well as taxpayers’ dollars, away from our primary focus," said Dr. Gerrita Postlewait, superintendent of Lexington One. 

"We owed it to our entire community to find a solution that did not involve a lengthy and costly legal battle and to affirm that our district is, in fact, in compliance with all state laws. We are proud of the high quality public education Lexington One educators provide, and we want to put this matter behind us so that schools may receive the benefit of our full support "

EL Education did not respond to Fox Digital's request for comment by time of publication. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that this was a settlement agreement and not a court order.