Katy ISD’s transgender policy under civil rights investigation

The U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Office has opened an investigation into a Title IX complaint against Katy ISD for potentially violating student civil rights with its transgender policy.

As first reported by the Houston Landing, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, a student-led activist group, announced in a news release Monday that federal officials are investigating whether the district’s transgender policy is discriminatory.

“The district is committed to offering equal educational opportunities to our entire community,” said Katy ISD media relations representative Nick Petito. “While we have received the OCR filing and deny any wrongdoing, we are committed to remaining fully cooperative and responsive throughout the process.”

The activist group filed the lawsuit in November, targeting the district’s policy, which instituted multiple new mandates toward transgender students, including a measure that requires teachers to “out” a student if they reveal to a staff member that they are transgender.

The measure narrowly passed 4-3 in August, with board members Rebecca Fox, Lance Redmon and Dawn Champagne opposing the policy, and Morgan Calhoun, Mary Ellen Cuzela and Amy Thieme, alongside board president Victor Perez, supporting it.

At least 23 students have been reported to their parents as transgender since the policy was activated, a public information request from the district shows.

“The Department of Education opening an investigation marks a significant step forward in holding Katy ISD accountable for its actions and ensuring that transgender students are equally protected under federal civil rights laws,” said Cameron Samuels, an organizer of the activist group. “SEAT applauds the department’s response to our complaint and looks forward to cooperating fully with the investigation process.”

In the months following the policy’s enactment, several student-led protests sprung up across the district.

“Tides are finally turning,” said Tompkins High School student Jarred Burton, who helped organize a protest in August. “While this policy has undoubtedly put students in danger, we’ve risen up to become more informed, outspoken and powerful. We will not sit idle while our school district tries to write us out of existence through policy. We deserve a seat at the table, and we’re one step closer to getting there.”

In the federal complaint, the group seeks a resolution that repeals Katy ISD’s policy, provides direct resources to students impacted by the district’s policy, establishes professional LGBTQ+ inclusion training for district personnel and codifies nondiscrimination protections for gender identity, the news release said.