Victory! Leander ISD Votes Down LGBT Policy, Listens To Community
Leander, TX – Last night, Leander ISD voted 5-1 to table (not approve) a new and proposed sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) policy for all public schools that was presented to them by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). TASB is a nongovernmental business that often offers services to school districts in Texas. Texas Values team members testified before the board against the agenda item to adopt Local Policy 115 from TASB that adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” language to a variety of areas that govern activities in public schools. A local mother also testified against the proposed LGBT policy.
No one, not one single person, testified in favor of this divisive proposal. Texas Values made sure the board knew that they are not under the obligation to adopt policies from TASB and that broadly applying changes to school policies based on a new and controversial U. S. Supreme Court decision about employment issues, Bostock v. Clayton County, would be legally flawed. Bostock is a Title VII case and schools are typically governed by Title IX policies.
“We are pleased that the school board did not succumb to political pressure to adopt a controversial sexual orientation, gender identity policy based on flawed legal reasoning. The Department of Education has made it clear, the Bostock court decision does not apply to Title IX schools issues,” said attorney and president Jonathan Saenz, from Texas Values said.
Board member Jim McKay made the motion to table the discussion because he said he has received a lot of emails from the community in opposition to the policy adoption that he has not had time to digest. Board member Aaron Johnson seconded the motion because he said he too received a lot of the emails in the last 24 hours leading up to the meeting and he believed the board should take more time to read through the Local Policy 115.
Other commentary by school board members made it clear that some Leander ISD officials (such a Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia) also want to adopt new policies on dress codes that cater to LGBT political agendas such as allowing boys and girls to cross-dress, and could create fairness problems for sports teams and other school-related activities. The transgender dress code issue is a matter that the majority of Leander ISD board voted against a few weeks ago.
Board President Trish Bode concurred that Local Policy 115 is complex and needs more review. The board voted in favor of tabling the policy until further review can be completed. The Leander ISD school board is expected to take up these issues again in October.
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