In response to a controversy at Bellaire High School in Houston, Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to investigate allegations that staff were involved in the unauthorized “social transitioning” of a student.
The order from Abbott follows recent concerns raised by State Rep. Steve Toth (R-Conroe), who reported that teachers at the school may have taken steps to change a student’s gender identity without any parental consent, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
At a February Houston Independent School District board meeting, Denise Bell, chair of the Harris County chapter of Moms for Liberty, revealed a concerning story from a mother about her daughter at Bellaire High School. The student, a junior, was asked about her pronouns at the start of the school year and provided her preferences on a worksheet.
However, teachers allegedly began using a different name and pronouns for the student. Bell also claimed that one teacher even crossed out the student’s real name on an assignment, replacing it with the alternate name in red ink, without the mother’s consent.
In a letter sent to Rep. Toth, Abbott said that parental rights should never be undermined in the classroom.
“Parental rights are not stripped once a child enters a classroom,” Abbott wrote. “Schools certainly should not promote distorted notions of human biology or push children further into gender dysphoria.”
The governor condemned the school’s actions, asserting that schools should not be in the business of promoting “distorted notions of human biology” or encouraging children to further explore gender dysphoria, especially without any involvement of their parents.
“If the allegations against Bellaire High School are true, then these parental guarantees have been grossly violated. No parent should have to endure such treatment, and this is another example of why I have long championed school choice in Texas,” Abbott continued.
He also made it clear that any educators found responsible for similar actions could face criminal consequences. He directed TEA to investigate the incident at Bellaire High School and to determine whether the teachers involved acted inappropriately, supporting a gender transition that the student’s parents were not aware of or comfortable with.
The comments come just weeks after Abbott’s State of the State Address, where he reaffirmed that Texas only recognizes two biological genders, male and female, adding that educators discussing gender transitioning with students should be fired.
In a press release about the matter, the governor also referenced a recent speech by President Donald Trump in which he criticized the practice of secretly transitioning children, describing it as a form of “child abuse.”
Under current Texas law, licensed professionals who work with children, including teachers, doctors, and nurses, are legally obligated to report suspected child abuse. Failure to do so can result in criminal penalties, a consequence that may now be applied to educators or school staff who promote “social transitioning.”