Former Portales teacher suing school district

Eastern New Mexico News, Clovis, N.M.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—A former Portales teacher is suing the school district after she claims to have been forced to resign for teaching the book "The Hate U Give" to her freshman honors English class.

The teacher, Kelly Cradock, was employed by Portales Municipal Schools from August 2020 to February 2022.

"Mrs. Cradock's first amendment rights were violated, her rights under the New Mexico Human Rights Act were violated," Cradock's attorney Kristina Martinez said.

Portales schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain declined to comment on the lawsuit.

A 16-page complaint was filed last month. It claimed the book was not only approved by the English Department and the district but also by the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Martinez said the book is about a young student who is Black who witnesses her Black friend being shot and killed in front of her during a traffic stop. "It's a good introduction to racism and racial prejudice. Maybe prejudice we don't even realize we have," Martinez said.

"They (administration) said I was pushing CRT (critical race theory) and that I hate the police. They said it wasn't a good look for them and they wanted me to pick a new book because parents were pressuring the school," Cradock told the News.

Cradock claims she gave the students the option to read "The Hate U Give" and another book, but the students voted for "The Hate U Give."

"Mrs. Cradock believes that it was an important book for her students to read, given what has been going on in the past couple of years in our country," Martinez said.

According to the complaint, Cradock said she was told some objected to the book because they believed it was about the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-police.

"It's not trying to incite any kind of negative feelings," Martinez said. "It's a book meant to give young people a lens into these issues that are facing all of society."

In a previous interview with the News in February of 2022, Superintendent Cain said the book created no issues for the administration. "It's got some controversial issues in it, but it's probably stuff kids need to see," he said.

Cradock alleges in the lawsuit that she felt pressured to resign by school administrators.