Carroll ISD votes to remove protections for LGBTQ+ students
SOUTHLAGO, Texas – Carroll ISD in Southlake is the last North Texas school district to vote on policies affecting LGBTQ+ students.
Community members, students and Carroll ISD staff all gave their say at the school board meeting Monday night before trustees approved three new policies.
The former removes protections for LGBTQ students when it comes to bullying and harassment, deleting phrases like sexual orientation and gender identity in its policy handbook.
The next one restricts the use of the bathroom and changing rooms to the gender on students’ birth certificates.
The final policy change says teachers do not need to use students’ preferred pronouns.
“There’s already so much bigotry in school today when it’s supposedly against the rules. Imagine the consequences when it’s removed completely,” said one student during the public comment portion of the meeting.
“We thought it was relevant before the school began clarifying where this advice stands in ensuring the protection of teachers’ First Amendment rights on the use of pronouns and the board’s position on maintaining separate restrooms, locker rooms and other similar facilities,” said Cameron Bryan, school board chair at Carroll ISD.
The assistant superintendent for district administration said all gender-based harassment falls under title 9.
Carroll said ISD is still committed to protecting students.
The ACLU of Texas has warned other districts that have made similar changes that they could potentially face lawsuits for adopting these policies.
Carroll ISD has a controversial history of managing student diversity, equity and inclusion. He is currently the focus of eight federal civil rights investigations by the United States Department of Education.
