GOP Candidate Don Huffines Gets Two Diversity Training Courses Eliminated From Government Agencies

Texas Child Protective Services eliminated two diversity training programs for its caseworkers late last year after former Sen. Don Huffines compared them to Marxism and “critical race theory,” according to Dallas News.

The Department of Family and Protective Services similarly stopped requiring employees seeking promotion to take those diversity courses.

The department has not commented on the removal of these classes, nor did they confirm Huffines’ involvement in it.

Huffines did however take credit, “I said I would get this poisonous material removed,” he tweeted. “I kept my promise.”

He released a short video requesting that Gov. Greg Abbott “stop using taxpayer dollars to promote Critical Race Theory” and “to weed out this poison” from every state agency and university. 

In his final remarks, Huffines says “the people pushing this crap need to be fired.”

Huffines specifically mentions two pieces of course material, both of which partially cover racial and ethnic identity, as well as institutional racism. Particularly a course titled “Knowing Who You Are,” and a 2020 Powerpoint document.

CPS field director Erica Bañuelos suggested that an anti-racism course called “Undoing Racism” would also be discontinued in an email to Deneen Dryden, the associate commissioner for CPS.

Legislation passed by the Texas Legislature in 2005 required the department to “develop and deliver cultural competency training to all service delivery staff.” Lawmakers also pushed for partnerships with community organizations and churches “to provide culturally competent services to children and families of every race and ethnicity.”

CPS has had issues with disproportionately suspecting Black and Hispanic families of child maltreatment and established a special office intended to combat this sort of profiling.