Gov. Greg Abbott has demanded an investigation into Bellaire High School by the Texas Education Agency after Moms for Liberty spoke during a school board meeting about a concerned parent who claims her daughter was socially transitioned without her knowledge or approval.
During a Thursday night Houston Independent School District school board meeting, Moms for Liberty Harris County Chapter Chair Denise Bell spoke during the public comment section. In her 60-second testimony, she shared the story of an anonymous mother with a junior enrolled at Bellaire High School in HISD. Speaking on the mother’s behalf, Bell said, “We were shocked to learn that the high school was actively socially transitioning our daughter by calling her by a different name and pronouns.”
At the start of her freshman year, the student’s mother recalled that her daughter came home with a worksheet explicitly asking for her pronouns. Later, despite the information provided on that worksheet, teachers allegedly began addressing her by a different name and pronouns. According to Bell, one teacher even went so far as to cross out the student’s real name on a paper she had submitted and wrote her preferred name in red ink.
Bell concluded her time by stating, “This occurred without our knowledge and certainly without our consent. This goes against our Christian faith, the advice of her therapist, and, quite frankly, common sense. We met with her teachers, counselors, and the principal to no avail. HISD is purposely and secretively transitioning minors.”
After the video was posted online, Gov. Greg Abbott responded, demanding that the TEA investigate Bellaire High School. “No parent should have to endure this. Another reason why parents deserve school choice.”
Regarding school choice, the Senate passed Senate Bill 2 on February 6, which is designed to allocate a billion dollars for education savings accounts for up to 100,000 students in Texas, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows has provided assurances that school choice will pass in the House as well.
Abbott further stated, “No school should be involved in ‘transitioning’ a child. If this is not already illegal, it will be after this session. I have instructed TEA to investigate this matter.”
While Texas has several laws addressing gender confusion in minors, including a ban on students playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity rather than their biological sex and prohibiting the administration of puberty blockers and hormone therapies to minors, there is not a state law that prohibits teachers from calling students by their preferred pronouns or names.
Some proposals have already been filed this legislative session to penalize anyone working to socially “transition” a minor.
Just last week, Cy-Fair ISD—another Houston-area district—finalized new rules aimed at keeping parents informed of and involved with any potential issues regarding their students. Teachers will only be allowed to use pronouns that do not align with a student’s biological sex if the parents and student jointly request a reasonable accommodation. Additionally, if a student requests such an accommodation, schools are required to notify parents of the request.
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