Missouri Ends Years-Long Lawsuit Against Springfield Public Schools

Ryan J. Farrick — January 2, 2025

Gavel resting on open book; image by verkeorg, via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, no changes.

“The settlement agreement is in the mutual best interests of Missourians, the AGO and the district, as it fairly resolves this dispute through settlement, ensures the district’s compliance with both the Sunshine Law and the Missouri Human Rights Act at the least cost to taxpayers, and conserves public resources,” the Missouri Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

Missouri has settled and dropped a longstanding lawsuit against Springfield Public Schools, which the state had accused of violating the state’s “Sunshine Law” by refusing to release documents related to the district’s mandatory diversity training program.

According to The Springfield News-Leader, the lawsuit was dismissed voluntarily and with prejudice on December 28. Under the terms of the settlement, both sides are expected to pay their own legal fees.

“The settlement agreement is in the mutual best interests of Missourians, the AGO and the district, as it fairly resolves this dispute through settlement, ensures the district’s compliance with both the Sunshine Law and the Missouri Human Rights Act at the least cost to taxpayers, and conserves public resources,” the Missouri Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

The News-Leader notes that the lawsuit was prompted by a Springfield Republican leader’s Sunshine Law request for documentation about the scope and intent of the district’s 2020 mandatory diversity training.

In his request, Rep. Craig Fishel demanded three years’ worth of emails with any reference to terms including “critical race theory,” the “1619 project,” “Black Lives Matter,” “implicit bias,” “systemic racism,” and “restorative justice,” “racism,” “antiracism,” and “social justice.”

Scales of Justice. Image via Flickr/user:mikecogh. (CCA-BY-2.0).

The district, writes the News-Leader, agreed—but requested a deposit of at least $170,000 to start searching multiple serves. It also cautioned that the final cost of the request could be higher.

Springfield Public Schools officials also emphasized that Fishel’s request was “extraordinarily broad in scope,” and had the potential to “divert hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of district staff.”

Missouri’s then-attorney general, Eric Schmitt, eventually filed a lawsuit demanding access to the same types of documents.

“Springfield Public Schools has skirted our efforts to demand answers and transparency for parents who send their kids to Springfield Public Schools by demanding exorbitant fees for public records,” Schmitt said in a 2021 statement. “Now, we’re taking Springfield Public Schools to court for those public records.”

“I will always fight for parents’ rights to know exactly what schools are teaching their children,” he said.

Schmitt’s lawsuit was continued by his successor, current Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

At the time, Springfield characterized the lawsuit as an obvious attempt at political intimidation.

“SPS is disappointed by the Attorney General’s decision to use the power of his office to attack public education,” the district said. “This is an attempt to intimidate SPS, and while it will not prevail, it will, unfortunately, require considerable taxpayer resources to defend.”

The News-Leader notes that the district has not held any mandatory diversity training programs since 2020.