A viral video of a Lewisville ISD teacher showing up to school in drag has resulted in the district placing the individual on administrative leave following public backlash.
Hebron High School teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi was filmed by students wearing a pink dress, a pink cowboy hat, and pink boots to school on Valentine’s Day, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Students defending the cross-dressing teacher stated he was dressing up for “spirit day” to demonstrate inclusivity, reported The Dallas Morning News. Since then, numerous other photos have been posted showing the teacher wearing tight leggings and a tutu in class and dressing as Ursula from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid.
The school’s principal, Amy Boughton, sent a message to parents following public outcry over the situation to explain that the teacher was being placed on administrative leave.
“You may have seen a video circulating on social media expressing concerns with the way a staff member was dressed at school yesterday. We are aware of the video,” Boughton wrote in a statement posted on X by Libs of TikTok. “It would be natural for our families to have questions about this situation, but because this is a personnel matter currently under review, there is no additional information the district can share.”
The video led Gov. Greg Abbott to post on X about the need for school choice options for families. Abbott has been pushing for educational reforms that will allow public funding of charter schools and has refused to endorse candidates who voted against vouchers in the most recent round of special legislative sessions, according to the Dallas Observer.
“No parent should be forced by the state to send their child to this school. I’m fighting for the right of parents to send their children elsewhere,” Abbott wrote. “Parents deserve school choice in Texas. The candidates I am backing will deliver that school choice.”
Democrats took the opportunity to fire back at Abbott, citing his unwillingness to move forward with legislation to improve teacher pay and recruitment and calling his disapproval of cross-dressing teachers in high school classrooms “a focus on the wrong things.”
“He’s wasting his time fighting a GOP-invented culture war against self-expression and trying to shore up support for his wildly unpopular voucher scam, when there are very real problems in our public schools that he should be working to fix instead,” Kardal Coleman, chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party said, per the Dallas Observer.
Brady Gray, president of Texas Family Project, told Texas Scorecard that the situation is “embarrassing but sadly not surprising.”
“Texans across the state should take notice and hold their schools accountable. Gone are the days of believing this happens elsewhere but not in my town. If it’s not there today, without accountability and vigilance, it will be tomorrow.
“Legislators should take note as well. Parents are tired of having their children indoctrinated and they want school choice now. It is the single best way to keep schools accountable,” Gray said, per the Texas Scorecard.
This is the latest scandal to hit the Lewisville School District after a former Teacher of the Year was arrested on charges of indecency with a child under 14 last year. As reported by The Dallas Express, that teacher, John Collett, a teacher at Camey Elementary School, was arrested in April after the parents of a 10-year-old student became suspicious.
