An East Texas school superintendent is embracing “civil disobedience” against the Biden administration’s “offensive” rewrite of Title IX, the federal civil rights law designed to protect women from sex-based discrimination in education.
Superintendent Marty Crawford declared that Tyler Independent School District will follow Gov. Greg Abbott’s instruction to the Texas Education Agency to ignore the new Title IX rule.
The rewritten rule, set to take effect in August, undermines Title IX’s protections for girls in K-12 schools by mandating compliance with radical gender ideology.
Crawford made the statement in a letter to the Texas Association of School Boards, a taxpayer-funded lobbying group that also provides legal, policy, and training services to member districts at taxpayers’ expense.
Crawford’s letter called for TASB to craft new policies to protect school districts and their students from the harmful effects of the new rule.
“While I speak on behalf of Tyler ISD in East Texas, I suspect much of your membership’s communities across the State of Texas will embrace such opportunity at civil disobedience regarding the topic,” Crawford wrote to TASB directors.
“As for Tyler ISD, this correspondence confirms that we will be following the Governor’s edict,” wrote Crawford.
In turn, we expect our policies crafted by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), whether LEGAL or LOCAL, to reflect and adhere to Governor Abbott’s instructions that ignore this constitutionally overreaching and illegal edict that is so offensive to our daughters, wives, and mothers. We believe in protecting girls and women’s rights in the purest biological form in our schools, in athletic competition, in the use of facilities such as locker rooms and restrooms, and as well, the protection of our teachers and staff in the mindless game of misappropriating pronouns.
The Biden administration’s 1,500-page rewrite of Title IX adds “gender identity” as a protected class and forces K-12 schools to allow boys into girls’ facilities and activities. Schools that refuse are threatened with loss of federal education funds.
“I am so proud of Dr. Marty Crawford, President Wade Washmon, and the Board of Trustees. Indeed, THIS is how it’s done. THIS is how a superintendent leads,” said Tyler mom Christin Bentley, a conservative leader and education advocate.
Bentley represents the area as State Republican Executive Committeewoman for Senate District 1 and also leads the SREC’s legislative effort to stop the sexualization of Texas children.
Shannon Ayres, who leads the education division for Citizens Defending Freedom in Collin County, said local parents expect their school district officials to follow Tyler ISD’s lead.
“Is the safety of the girls in your district more important than the federal money you get? Parents and CDF are watching,” she said.
School district trustees in Carroll ISD and Mansfield ISD have denounced the rewritten rule as harmful to students. Hood County commissioners called on local school districts to consider alternatives to federal funding tied to the rule.
In addition, Carroll ISD filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s Title IX rewrite.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also sued to stop enforcement of the new rule.
Barring court intervention, Biden’s new Title IX rule will take effect on August 1.
