This article has been updated since publication.
A new investigation revealed an Irving Independent School District administrator advising an undercover journalist on how to circumvent a state law protecting girls in school sports.
In 2021, Texas lawmakers approved the legislation by State Rep. Valoree Swanson (R–Spring), which banned public school students from competing in an interscholastic athletic competition “designated for the biological sex opposite to the student’s biological sex.” It was signed by Gov. Abbott and went into effect in January 2022.
During the investigation, an undercover journalist with Accuracy in Media spoke to Irving ISD’s Executive Director of Campus Operations Reny Lizardo.
Lizardo told the journalist that if a parent were to change the gender on their child’s birth certificate before moving to Texas, the district would be able to put their gender-confused son on the girl’s soccer team.
“If you can get that done [changing gender on a birth certificate], and you turn us a birth certificate that says this gender, that’s the gender we go with,” said Lizardo.
Lizardo explains that he is not a lawyer, but “it’s not illegal if you don’t get caught.”
“If no one knew, then we’re good,” Lizardo continued. “But if a parent found out or a student found out and said, ‘Wait a second, this person isn’t this gender,’ and they sued the district, we’d be in trouble. But we can also say, ‘We didn’t know.’ So there’s a plausible deniability.”
Lizardo also admitted during the investigation that Irving ISD has a large population of illegal alien students.
Gov. Greg Abbott caught wind of the investigation and posted to X that the administrator should be fired and an investigation conducted.
“This Irving ISD Administrator should be fired on the spot,” wrote Abbott. “Both criminal & civil investigations must be taken against both the Administrator & Irving ISD.”
“Has Irving ISD and its employees been involved in a fraudulent breach of state laws & a cover up?” Abbott continued. “We must get the facts.”
According to the Daily Signal, a statement from Irving ISD issued on Wednesday claimed the individual did not speak on behalf of the school district and had resigned.
“The individual identified was acting outside of his role as it relates to legal and regulatory expertise,” the statement read. “While the matter continues to be under investigation, the individual identified in the video has tendered his resignation. The resignation was accepted upon receipt in accordance with district policy.”
Accuracy in Media’s President Adam Guillette told Texas Scorecard that he has gone to over 100 school districts in Texas and has “found some of the worst of the worst in America, right there in Texas.”
Guillette says, “The first thing every Texan should do is demand universal school choice from their elected officials.”
“That’s the only way to solve these problems because the law means nothing to these radicals,” he continued. “The second thing they can do is visit TexasSchoolsLie.com, where they can send a message directly to the elected officials related to this investigation.”
The full investigation can be found here.
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