Dallas ISD has seemingly been dragging its feet in responding to open records requests inquiring about its partnership with a transgender clinic in the city.
The school district’s “Out for Safe Schools” program is a partnership with the Resource Center, which runs the Nelson-Tebedo Sexual Health Clinic on Cedar Springs Road. The clinic administers transgender hormones and provides referrals for sex alteration surgeries.
Resource Center employees work with Dallas ISD through the program to instruct teachers how to “‘come out’ as visible allies for LGBTQIA+ students and staff,” according to the organization’s website.
The Dallas Express filed an open records request on January 4, asking Dallas ISD for all documentation related to its partnership agreement with the Resource Center. A public information officer responded with the assertion that the request was “too broad.”
Separate open records requests were then filed asking for communications between the Resource Center and two Dallas ISD employees: Mahoganie Gaston, who runs LGBTQ programs for the district, and Joe Carreón, a member of the district’s board of trustees.
Both requests were then sent back with a demand they be narrowed to “Specific employee(s) names and/or e-mail address to be searched,” even though each request had already been limited to a specific employee.
Carreón was revealed in previous emails obtained by The Dallas Express to have communicated with Rafael McDonnell, the senior advocacy, policy, and communications manager for the Resource Center.
“Do you have some time either Tuesday or Wednesday to visit with my colleague Leslie McMurray and I?” McDonnell wrote to Carreón.
“As you probably know, our mutual friend Mahoganie Gaston’s job as LGBTQIA liaison ended with the school year, and Leslie and I could use your assistance and guidance on the Center’s Out for Safe Schools partnership with DISD,” McDonnell continued.
“I can visit the center if you are both already there,” Carreón responded. “I am due for a visit.”
The requests into Carreón and Gaston’s communications were limited to any emails to or from McDonnell.
Dallas ISD and Carreón did not respond to previous questions about the meeting with the Resource Center.
The school district was revealed to have a document entitled “LGBTQ+ Resources for Dallas ISD & Surrounding Communities” that provides guidance on how to transition genders and recommends specific transgender clinics, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Robyn Harris, the executive director of Dallas ISD’s communications team, previously told The Dallas Express the document was only available at the request of parents or employees. Further investigation revealed the document was public. It was made private after the story gained national attention.
The document cited the Resource Center under sections for “Gender-Affirming Care,” “Mental Health Support,” “Youth Peer Support,” and “Medical and Health.”