New policies: Keller ISD students must use restrooms and locker rooms based on the biological sex

Keller, Texas – In a protracted Wednesday evening session marked by an hour and a half of public discourse, the Keller Independent School District board sanctioned a series of contentious policy modifications centering on pronoun utilization.

The special board assembly, which took place more than a week subsequent to a particularly volatile meeting on June 20, saw a list exceeding 50 individuals prepared to articulate their views.

Keller ISD students must use restrooms and locker rooms based on the biological sex

The fiery discourse during the previous gathering centered primarily on two proposed directives: the obligation for students to utilize restrooms, locker rooms, and other such amenities in alignment with the gender assigned to them at birth, and a separate edict stipulating that teaching staff and other district employees refrain from endorsing or mandating pronouns for a student or any individual which do not correspond to those recorded on their birth certificate.

A variety of detractors, voicing their disapproval on Wednesday evening, raised apprehensions that the proposed directives could become a conduit for bullying.

“So many of you here speak of protecting children, yet so many of you seem so eager of leaving our most vulnerable and at-risk kids behind,” one speaker said, as reported by NBC DFW. “So many of you have kids and grandkids, imagine for a moment if one of them killed themselves.”

Some attendees were unhappy with Keller ISD new pronoun usage, bathrooms policies

Others, while expressing disappointment at the proposed changes, noted that the move was not entirely unexpected.

“Using pronouns and what bathrooms to go to hasn’t been a problem, you want it to be. That’s not a good enough reason to spend staff time implementing a new policy. Trained professionals in our schools have been kindly addressing this individually with each student’s best interest at heart,” another woman speaking against the changes said.

The announcement of the board’s decision to adopt the policies was met with a round of applause from those in attendance.

“The argument over the use of pronouns at school is ridiculous and intent by the woke to push their narrative on others. It’s intent to focus on one group of people at the expense of another,” one speaker in support of the changes said.

Others backing the changes asserted their inclusivity and urged the board members to adopt them.

“It’s for the teachers, staff, and students who don’t want to be forced words that are not part of their conscience,” one woman said. “I’m sorry, but if your child is going to commit suicide because of words, please get them the mental health that they need.”

Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) previously sent a letter to Keller ISD

Last week, a letter from the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was dispatched to the Keller ISD, advising the district that the proposed changes were in contravention of federal law and represent a “severely misinterpret” of state legislation in Texas.

“Enacting these policies would harm Keller ISD students, invade their medical privacy, and defy best practices recommended by non-partisan education associations, including the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB),” the letter states.

Several speakers on Wednesday drew attention to the concerns flagged by the ACLU. Up until now, there has been no public response from Keller ISD regarding the issue.