KATY (Covering Katy News) - The Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a Gender Policy at Monday's board meeting following more than four hours of public comment from more than 100 people who signed up to speak.
The Katy ISD Gender Policy will do the following:
- Make district restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and similar changing facilities specific to a person's gender at birth.
- Require players on girls' teams to have been born female.
- Require players on boys' teams to have been born male.
- Require district staff to notify parents if their child requests to be identified as transgendered, change his or her name, or use different pronouns at school, except where prohibited by law or in cases of suspected parental abuse.
- Exclude Gender Fluidity content from the classroom and instructional material.
The vote was 4 to 3 to approve the policy. Those voting for the policy were Trustees Morgan Calhoun, Amy Thieme, Victor Perez and Mary Ellen Cuzela. Trustees voting against the plan were Rebecca Fox, Dawn Champagne, and Lance Redmon.
The public filled the board room, and the school district opened an overflow room so all could watch the meeting.
The comments from people opposed to the Gender Policy were often incendiary toward board members who favored the policy.
During a work-study meeting one week earlier, Board President Victor Perez said the policy was needed to provide guidance to staff.
"We are not saying these are major issues currently at Katy ISD. However, we need to establish a policy to provide guidance," Perez said.
But Board Member Amy Thieme believes there is a pressing need for a gender policy.
"My neighbor's daughter came home from 7th grade and said to her parents she thinks she's a boy. The parents said why? She said my teacher told me I have male tendencies," Thieme said.
Much of the board's discussion over the past two weeks has focused on a parent's right to know if their child requests to identify as a different gender while at school.
Board member Dawn Champagne does not want teachers to be required to tell parents if a child identifies as a different gender.
"The trust will be destroyed between the child and the teacher they have decided to confide to," Champagne said. "Things at home may not be safe for all children at home."
Trustee Morgan Calhoun says you can't assume an unsafe parent runs every home.
"We are making a blanket statement accusing parents without even giving them the opportunity to step into this moment of a child's life," Calhoun said.
Board President Victor Perez said it's wrong to keep secrets from parents and that parents should be involved in determining what is best for their children.
The parent's rights movement began in 2021 when a male high-school student allegedly sexually assaulted two females in the Loudoun County Public Schools. The first incident happened in the girl's bathroom. A LCPS policy allowed students to use the bathroom of their choosing rather than the one that corresponds with their sex at birth. The superintendent and the district spokesperson were criminally charged for not being truthful with the public about what happened.
Shortly before Monday night's vote, Katy ISD trustee Lance Redmon said he believed the policy was not ready to be approved.
"I think we need more work done on it," Redmon said. "Good policy takes time."
During last week's work study session, school board member Rebecca Fox said the policy is unnecessary.
"They (students) don't compete in each other's athletics; they don't go to bathrooms that are putting other students in danger. My concern is this is a solution looking for a problem."
Board Member Mary Ellen Cuzela disagreed with Fox.
"It's called leading and being a leader instead of reacting to a problem that could come," Cuzela said. "It's very prevalent. It's happened around the county with the whole bathroom issue."