Leander ISD Betrays Parents: Adopts LGBT Policy After Postponing Vote 3 Times

After refusing to adopt the LGBT policy suggested by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), Leander ISD school board members adopted the controversial and misleading policy 5-0.  The vote follows a long battle that began with a proposal, which the board rejected, to adopt an LGBT dress code that would allow students to cross dress. Subsequently, the Texas Association of School Boards sent recommended policy changes to align with TASB’ s own special interpretation of the sexual orientation and gender identity Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County.

The Texas Values team and many parents testified for a third time against the LGBT policy. One parent mentioned how he gathered over 1,000 signatures to remove Superintendent Bruce Gearing from his position as superintendent over the controversial policies and curriculum that the school has recently enforced.

While Leander ISD school board members heard countless testimonies from parents disagreeing with the policy, including a press conference last month, the school board settled last night to adopt the policy. Two of the strongest defenders of parent’s concerns on the school board had retired and were not present to vote. Board member Aaron Johnson who asked for a separate subcommittee to review the LGBT policy, flipped his position to support the policy. Board member Elexis Grimes pointed out to that Congress has not changed the language of the Civil Rights Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”. Grimes also expressed that she believed TASB was bringing the board out their lane of local control and that she did not want to see the TASB policy bleed into student policies.

Suspicion surrounds the board placing the LGBT policy back on the agenda so soon and the reason for some members changing their votes on the policy. This is why Texas Values filed an open records request with the school district in order to uncover any influence from LGBT advocacy groups on Superintendent Gearing’s advancement of the LGBT policy.