The KISD policy requires pronouns used on campus to reflect the person’s biological sex; excludes gender fluidity content from classroom and instructional materials; and maintains separations based on biological sex in facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms, among other requirements, Community Impact previously reported.
The board did not take action on the policy, which appeared on the agenda for potential discussion as "FA Local Policy Student Welfare: Parental Authority and Gender Fluidity Matters," and it tabled two other items at the end of the meeting for future discussion. Those included discussion of revisions to a local educational philosophy policy as well as a possible resolution against changes to Title IX.
Trustee Stacey Chase said the board should watch the progress of the Katy ISD policy as it faces investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.
“I think it’s really reckless for us to entertain a notion to follow in their footsteps when we’re not actually addressing a specific problem for students," Chase said.
The gist
Trustee Misty Odenweller said during discussion at the end of the meeting the district does not have any policies in place relating to how it responds to questions of gender identity among students and suggested the district consider such a policy.
“I think we should entertain writing a local policy that sets forth how bathrooms and locker rooms should be used, and how students when traveling should be housed together, ... parent notification; ... none of this is anywhere in our policy,” Odenweller said.
Other trustees, such as Chase, questioned the purpose of such a policy.
“What I’m trying to get from y‘all is what is the problem we are trying to address,” Chase said. “It is not worth anyone’s time to change things just to change them, ... to create things just to create them.”
Trustee Melissa Dungan said the district has local policies for numerous other issues, whether or not they are an imminent problem.
“If it’s not written, there is nothing to reference when we say, ‘This is not allowed,’” Dungan said.
Trustee Datren Williams expressed his opposition to such a policy, citing its possible effect on transgender students. Several dozen people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting for or against the policy, including several students who asked the board not to consider a policy like that enacted in Katy ISD.
The context
The items on the May 14 agenda also drew the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which sent a letter to the board of trustees warning of potential violations should the board enact a policy similar to one in Katy ISD.
Matt Levin, strategic communications manager for the ACLU of Texas, shared the letter with Community Impact, stating the ACLU’s concerns about the "FA Local" policy up for discussion.
While the agenda does not list additional information on the policy, the ACLU letter states the policy “shares the name with a discriminatory policy recently passed by Katy ISD, which is now the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.”
In a follow-up statement after the meeting, Chloe Kempf, an ACLU of Texas attorney, said, “We are heartened that Conroe ISD’s school board tabled its consideration of an anti-LGBTQIA+ policy. Cruel policies like these harm and stigmatize transgender and nonbinary students, open the door to bullying and harassment, and violate anti-discrimination law—which is why the federal government is investigating a similar policy in Katy ISD."
What’s next?
The board did not take action on the proposed local policy or set a time to reintroduce it for future discussion at CISD board meetings. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 18.
