Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a legal investigation into the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and Irving ISD, alleging that school officials have allowed biological males to compete in girls’ sports, a violation of state law.
The legal action from the Attorney General’s office stems from Texas legislation that prohibits students from participating in athletic competitions at schools designated for the opposite biological sex.
Paxton’s office has now filed a petition seeking to depose multiple staff members from both school districts, including Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde and LGBT Youth Program Coordinator Mahoganie Gaston, as part of an effort to determine whether the district has encouraged students to alter their birth certificates to bypass legal restrictions on athletics. He also sent and publicly published letters to both school districts outlining some of the specific violations he uncovered.
“Governor Abbott has consistently reiterated that Texas only recognizes two sexes and that all state policy should reflect this fact, including TEA and UIL policies regarding interscholastic sports,” Paxton wrote in a letter to DISD.
In February, the Texas Attorney General’s office requested a set of records from DISD after finding evidence suggesting an unwritten policy had been implemented to allow such changes. According to Paxton’s office, Gaston was recorded telling a parent that a male student could participate in girls’ sports if the birth certificate were changed to reflect a female gender marker.
Gaston also allegedly said that the district finds “loopholes in everything” and that she would risk jail time for defying state law.
“School districts must follow the law, keep our children safe, and end these insane ‘gender theory’ policies that ignore reality and encourage illegal actions. ISD officials who have participated in this madness will be held accountable,” Paxton said in a press release published on Monday. “The systematic effort by Dallas ISD officials to circumvent Texas law will be exposed and stopped.”