A Massachusetts school district is rolling back its secretly imposed CRT program for grade school children after a fired football coach brought a lawsuit against the system.
Massachusetts high school football coach David Flynn settled his lawsuit with the Dedham Public School District, in Dedham Massachusetts with a win.
The district conceded Flynn’s First Amendment rights allow him to question the use of Critical Race Theory in a grade-school classroom, and it is making changes to the program.
Flynn was terminated from his job as the head football coach at Dedham High School when he complained that his daughter’s seventh grade teacher made radical changes to the curriculum without parental notification. Flynn discovered that his daughter was being taught Critical Race Theory (CRT) without his knowledge.
Critical Race Theory is a movement based on the idea racism is inherent in the laws and institutions of the United States and is the cause of ongoing inequalities between whites and nonwhites. CRT proponents argue the nation’s laws, Constitution, and other elements of society must be forcibly changed in order to eradicate systemic injustices.
In offering a settlement, Dedham Public Schools Superintendent Michael Welch acknowledged Flynn had expressed valid concerns, OANN reports. The district has made policy changes as a result of the lawsuit, including prohibiting teachers from promoting Black Lives Matters to students online.
Flynn’s daughter was enrolled in a class on World Geography and Ancient History in a public school, The Federalist reported at the time. Without sending any information to parents about the new curriculum, the course topics were changed to politics, race, gender equality, and diversity.
Course materials taught that police officers represent a risk to all black people and that white people perceive black males as dangerous. The teacher blatantly promoted her support for Black Lives Matters in a classroom full of twelve- and thirteen-year-old children.
Flynn complained to his daughter’s teacher, the principal, Superintendent Welch, and three school board members, expressing his opinion that these topics and the way teachers were presenting them were inappropriate, as was the fact that the changes were made in secret and without informing parents, The Federalist reported.
After receiving no proper response to his concern, Flynn and his wife decided to remove both of their children from the government-run school. A few months later, January of 2021, he was terminated from his coaching position with the Dedham Public School District.
With support from the legal foundation Judicial Watch, Flynn filed a lawsuit in February of 2021. Last week the case was settled, and Flynn was vindicated. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told OANN Flynn should not have had to resort to a federal civil rights lawsuit to protect his child from CRT.
“This a remarkable victory for Coach Flynn as his federal civil rights lawsuit resulted in the Dedham School District admitting that he was absolutely right to be concerned about the district’s introducing a new, controversial CRT-style curriculum without parental notice or involvement,” Fitton said. “We hope other school officials take note they must treat parental curriculum concerns with respect and avoid radical indoctrination of children.”
“I hope other parents can learn from this and not back down from fighting for what is best for their families,” Flynn said.
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