Following more than an hour and a half of public comments Wednesday evening, Keller ISD board members passed proposed policy changes impacting pronoun usage.
More than 50 people were signed up to speak at a special board meeting Wednesday before the Keller ISD school board more than a week after a heated meeting on June 20, where there was a majority focus on two policies: requiring students to use restrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on the sex they were assigned at birth, and another policy that would mean teachers and other district staff cannot promote or require pronouns for a student or any person that don’t match those on their birth certificate.
Some opponents on Wednesday night shared concerns that the policies will enable bullying.
“So many of you here speak of protecting children, yet so many of you seem so eager of leaving our most vulnerable and at-risk kids behind,” one speaker said. “So many of you have kids and grandkids, imagine for a moment if one of them killed themselves.”
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Other opponents said the proposed changes were disappointing but not surprising.
“Using pronouns and what bathrooms to go to hasn’t been a problem, you want it to be. That’s not a good enough reason to spend staff time implementing a new policy. Trained professionals in our schools have been kindly addressing this individually with each student’s best interest at heart,” another woman speaking against the changes said.
There was a round of applause from the audience after the board voted to pass the policies.
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“The argument over the use of pronouns at school is ridiculous and intent by the woke to push their narrative on others. It’s intent to focus on one group of people at the expense of another,” one speaker in support of the changes said.
Other supporters argued the policies are inclusive, as they urged board members to pass them.
“It’s for the teachers, staff, and students who don’t want to be forced words that are not part of their conscience,” one woman said. “I’m sorry, but if your child is going to commit suicide because of words, please get them the mental health that they need.”
Last week, the ACLU of Texas sent Keller ISD a letter informing the district the proposed policies violate federal law and “severely misinterpret” Texas state law.
“Enacting these policies would harm Keller ISD students, invade their medical privacy, and defy best practices recommended by non-partisan education associations, including the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB),” the letter states.
The ACLU’s concerns were brought up by multiple speakers Wednesday. Keller ISD has not publicly commented on the matter, as of this writing.
