AIM investigation leads to Texas court win over covert DEI in Austin ISD
September 17, 2025
A Texas court ordered Austin Independent School District (ISD) to comply with state law against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) instruction on Sept. 15, after an Accuracy in Media investigation prompted an investigation into the district’s defiance.
“Critical race theory is anti-American propaganda and in no world will I allow the woke indoctrination of Texas children,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “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. My office stands ready to defend Texas law and the rights of parents against any unlawful implementation of CRT.”
The court order states that Austin ISD must comply with the law and explicitly cannot instruct on how to circumvent such policies.
Paxton’s office sued the school district after a 2023 AIM investigation found that schools in Austin were still promoting and offering DEI education, just in a more covert manner.
Specifically, employees indicated the district was using lesson plans from curriculum-sharing sites like Newsela, which is a Trojan horse for the banned “1619 Project” from The New York Times.
Then-Equity Officer of Austin ISD, Stephanie Harley, told AIM investigators, “Newsela, I feel like—has the dimensions, and then there’s the nuance.”
At the time, Adrienne Aldaco, Austin ISD’s interim director of DEI said on hidden camera that there were “other options” for providing DEI programming, despite not being able to require it.
“Our district is really big on inclusivity and diversity and equity,” she reiterated.
Paxton announced the lawsuit against Austin ISD earlier this year, saying “It’s outrageous that Austin ISD officials think they can ignore state law to put woke indoctrination in Texas classrooms.”
“My office has begun the legal process to depose Austin ISD leaders, and we will fully investigate the district’s policies involving the teaching of illegal CRT curriculum to make sure state law is enforced. I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Texas school officials are focused on helping students receive a world-class education, not subject them to liberal, anti-American ideology,” he continued.
AIM’s undercover investigations are yielding real action from the powers that be across the country. Educational staff have made it their mission to continue injecting DEI and Critical Race Theory into your children’s curriculum–and clearly, laws aren’t enough to stop them.
AIM is making sure these employees’ plans are made known and that these school districts are held accountable.
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