A proposal to protect teachers who choose to use students' biological pronouns instead of their preferred pronouns has sparked debate in a Texas school district.
The Keller Independent School District (Keller ISD) discussed the proposal for the first time during its school board meeting Tuesday. It states that district employees "will not promote or require the use of pronouns that are inconsistent with an individual's biological sex as it appears on the individual's birth certificate."
An additional proposal seeks to require use of district facilities, such as restrooms and locker rooms, based on biological sex.
Dozens of parents and former students spoke out on the proposals Tuesday, with many arguing that the policies would harm transgender students in the district.
"Had policies like these been enacted when I was a student, I would have killed myself," one former Keller ISD student told the school board. "That is the harsh reality of the consequences policies like these have on our communities."
Some pointed to the former student's remarks, as well as those of others, as an example of the "pressure" being placed on educators. They argued that Keller ISD employees should be permitted to prioritize academics over "ideologies."
"That is too much pressure to put on anyone, and I am not prepared to put that on my 5-year-old or my 8-year-old," one mother said. "Bottom line is our kids are in school to learn reading, writing, math, science. The sexualization has gone too far."
"Schools have become battlegrounds," a local teacher of 40 years added. "We need to get back to the foundation of education."
Keller ISD is already facing calls from the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) not to approve the "invasive, immoral, and unlawful" proposals. The chapter claims that doing so would place the district in violation of Title IX regulations.
The Keller ISD school board did not vote on either of the proposals Tuesday night. It is not immediately clear when an official vote will be taken.
"Keller ISD’s Board of Trustees previewed Tuesday evening several potential policy updates and additions, including a new Policy CS (Local) regarding facility standards and a new Policy FI (Local) regarding the identification of students," Keller ISD said in a statement to Crisis in the Classroom (CITC). "As a district, Keller ISD remains committed to working with students and their families to meet the individual needs of every student and providing a supportive educational environment."
View This Story on Our Site