A Texas school district is facing a complaint over its directive to teachers to withhold information from parents about their children’s sexuality.
The parent of a student who attends Round Rock ISD alleged the district violated the Texas Education Code through its professional development slideshow that directed teachers not to tell parents if their child identifies as transgender, the Texas Scorecard reported.
Titled “Names and Pronouns: Supporting and Respecting Our LGBTQ+ Students,” the slideshow was obtained in August through a public information request by Michelle Evans, chapter leader for the Round Rock branch of the Independent Women’s Network.
The slideshow was allegedly used in January 2022 during a professional development session at Walsh Middle School.
“You should not out trans students to other students or staff members. You may have been the first person they felt comfortable with and you do not want to break that trust with them,” the slideshow reads. “DO NOT contact their parents and out them to their families. It is potentially dangerous and could be long-term damaging for the student.”
The complaint was filed against Walsh Middle School administrators, the district’s Round Rock learning community area superintendent, the district’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the Round Rock ISD administration, and the district’s board of trustees, the Texas Scorecard reported.
Maritza Gallaga, the interim chief of public affairs and communications for Round Rock ISD, said the Level One grievance from the parent will be dismissed because it pertains to a presentation from two years ago, making it untimely. The training, she said, was never required and was discarded once leadership was informed.
“Once notified, we took the appropriate steps and it was not shared again at any level,” Gallaga told the Texas Scorecard. “To be clear, this presentation has never been part of any district-wide training for staff, nor do we have a policy containing this information. We deal with all cases regarding trans students on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.”
The complaint alleged the presentation violated Texas Education Code Chapter 26 and Texas Attorney General opinions KP-0100 and KP-0406. KP-0100 states that the board of trustees must establish policies regarding parental involvement and student gender identity. KP-0406 and the education code state that parents have a right to access all education information about their child.
Evans said the district should expect to receive additional complaints from parents in response to the presentation she exposed.
“Round Rock ISD needs to know that parents will not sit back and watch this district become a haven for adults who take advantage of vulnerable children experiencing mental health issues,” Evans told Texas Scorecard. “Parents have to push back against policies, written or unwritten, that treat them as adversaries.”
Despite the contention spurred by the presentation, Round Rock ISD is one of the better-performing public school systems in Texas. Some 64% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams in the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, almost 96% of the district’s graduating Class of 2022 graduated on time.
For comparison, only 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level on the STAAR, and almost 20% of seniors in the Class of 2022 failed to earn a diploma in four years despite the hard work of the district’s dedicated teachers.
