ACLU warns Keller schools over proposed policies about pronouns, bathroom use
(3).JPG "The ACLU of Texas warned the Keller school district Tuesday afternoon as board members are preparing to consider policies that would limit pronoun use and restrict restroom use to a student’s biological sex at birth.")
The ACLU of Texas sent a warning letter to the Keller school district Tuesday afternoon as board members are preparing to consider policies that would limit pronoun use and restrict restroom use to a student’s biological sex at birth.
The board is considering the policies at its meeting Tuesday night.
The ACLU stated that the proposed policies would harm transgender students and violate state and federal laws including privacy rights, Title IX and the Equal Rights Protection clause.
“Enacting these policies would harm Keller ISD students, invade their medical privacy, and defy best practices recommended by nonpartisan education associations, including the Texas Association of School Boards,” the letter stated.
The school district did not respond to an email seeking comments about the ACLU letter.
The two policies that the board will consider involve preventing students from using restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity and require them to use facilities that correspond to their biological sex unless they request an accommodation.
The letter stated that the policy doesn’t define biological sex and it fails to consider various scientific definitions and court rulings on using restrooms and other facilities.
Another policy would discourage using identifying pronouns that correspond to a student’s gender identity.
“However, it is a moral and legal imperative that students not be harassed or bullied at school, including by being deliberately called pronouns that do not align with who they are,” the ACLU stated.
The Grapevine-Colleyville school district adopted similar policies in August.