A school district in Texas has adopted a new controversial policy on student pronouns, requiring teachers to refer to students by pronouns consistent with their biological sex.
The Keller Independent School District’s new policy changes state that educators must use pronouns consistent with the student’s birth certificate, regardless of whether the student wishes to use different pronouns, according to Fox 4.
Under the revision approved by the school board on Thursday night, parents will also be notified if a student wants to use a name or pronoun different from what is consistent with their birth certificate.
For a student to use a different name or pronoun, their parents must provide a written notification to the school.
Before the new changes, the district’s policy said educators could not promote or require the use of pronouns inconsistent with a student’s biological sex.
This comes amid a national debate in schools and governments across the country over whether students should be referred to by their preferred name and pronouns without parental knowledge. Last year, Katy ISD in Texas adopted a similar policy requiring parental notification.
Some Republican-led states have moved to pass legislation requiring that parents be notified if their child wants to use a different name or pronoun to protect parental rights, while some Democrat-led states oppose such a requirement by arguing that doing so could harm LGBTQ+ students.
The American Civil Liberties Union had sent a letter of concern to the district warning trustees not to approve the policies, claiming they were unlawful and discriminatory.
But the board unanimously approved the new policies.
Several students and parents criticized the district’s new policy during the public comment section of a recent school board meeting, according to Fox 4 and NBC 5.
“Every day I walk into a school and myself and my peers are suffering. It seems like more and more the school district is prioritizing budget cuts and a political agenda over the health of its students,” Keller ISD senior Kennedy Schultz said.
Another senior, Madison Hickman, told district officials: “You’ve created an environment where fear and isolation might just become the norm for our most vulnerable students. I hope this brings you the kind of community you’re striving for, one where conformity is valued over compassion. Hate is not a Keller ISD value.”
Parent Mary Anne Weatherred, who has teenagers in the district, said she shared students’ concerns that a child could be “outed” and endure problems with their parents who may not be accepting.
“Not everybody’s families are the same and not everybody’s families are going to accept kids exploring their gender identity and it’s going to make a difficult home situation for them,” Weatherred said. “They find a school to be a space where they can use a different name, a different pronoun and figure out who they are.”
But another parent, Marissa Bryce, said while she understands the concerns some people have about the policy change, she supports the revision.
“I think that it’s a good starting point. Parents need to know what’s going on with their school, they need to know what their kids are thinking,” Bryce said.
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