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Dewhurst Voices Support In Llano Suit Against Using CSCOPE Lesson Plans

Dewhurst campaign video

Burnet County Judge Dan Mills has ordered a temporary restraining order to stop the use of CSCOPE, an online curriculum provider, in Llano ISD until a further ruling.

Leticia McCasland and Trevor Dupuy, both former Llano ISD School Board candidates who made ending the CSCOPE lesson plans part of their campaigns, filed a lawsuit to end the use of the curriculum provider in Llano ISD.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst praised the judge's order and called a press conference to highlight the temporary dismantling of the controversial online lesson plans.

"As I travel around the state of Texas and I meet with parents and I meet with grassroots and I meet with Tea Party members, Republican men and women, I over and over again hear concerns about CSCOPE and factual errors and bias," Dewhurst said.

The 2014 race for the lieutenant governor's seat has Dewhurst up against several Republicans in the primary, one of whom is state Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston, who has been the leading conservative voice against CSCOPE for conservatives. But Dewhurst said the effort to ban the use of CSCOPE was not about political gains.

"And I personally have a problem with any effort to politicize this process," he said. "[It] is affront to these families, to Texas families across the state, and to the values that we hold dear here in the State of Texas."

Dewhurst said his purpose in the case against CSCOPE is to either eliminate the use of the online lesson plans or to fix them.

Attorney Tim Cowart represents the group of Llano parents who filed the lawsuit against the local school district and CSCOPE. He said after CSCOPE disbanded, the lesson plans were never approved by the State Board of Education.

"In this situation these lesson plans were developed by these educational service centers, thus they are subject to state board of education approval," Cowart said. "That is the basis of our lawsuit."

Judge Mills will decide on whether to continue the temporary restraining order into the school year for Llano ISD and Burnet ISD at a hearing this Friday afternoon.

Ryan started his radio career in 2002 working for Austin’s News Radio KLBJ-AM as a show producer for the station's organic gardening shows. This slowly evolved into a role as the morning show producer and later as the group’s executive producer.