The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Texas on August 22, 2022, approved a policy by a 4-3 vote that would limit classroom discussions of race and gender, pronoun use, and certain library materials.
The approved policy:
- Allows educators to use pronouns that align with a student’s biological sex rather than their gender identity
- Prohibits transgender students from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity
- Bars teachers from including political advocacy in their curriculum and awarding students academic credit for political activism
- Forbids K-5 students from engaging in classroom discussions regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and race
- Permits school board members and parents to oppose library materials
- Authorizes the school board to not have to reconsider banned books for at least a decade
In support of the policy, board member Casey Ford said, “These policies are the product of input from several groups — the board’s policy committee, the district’s attorneys, the board’s attorneys, a committee of administrators and principals and, most importantly, community members.”
Mike Sexton, a parent in the school district, disagreed with some of the board members. Sexton said, “You can talk about Santa Claus, but you can’t talk about gay people to fifth graders. This is incredible — you’re acting like people don’t exist. There’s thousands of people in this district that are LGBTQ, that live here, that are taxpayers,” according to the Texas Tribune.
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