Katy ISD sent notifications to 43 parents under controversial student gender identity policy

KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- More than a year after it was enacted, we're getting a clearer idea of the impact of Katy ISD's controversial gender identity policy.

The policy requires district staff to inform parents if students identify themselves as transgender or ask to use different names or pronouns in school.

Katy ISD is the first district in our area to implement a policy like this, but a similar policy just got the first of two votes needed for approval at CyFair ISD.

Conroe ISD trustees have also discussed a gender identity policy, with some proponents saying the policy is all about giving parents the information they deserve about their kids.

We made a public records request and learned that Katy ISD has sent 43 notifications to parents since the policy was implemented in September 2023.

Katy ISD has just over 96,000 students, but students we have talked to say these policies affect all of them because they reflect the culture of their schools.

"The fact that (a transgender child) (hasn't) shared that information with their parents is intentional. They have some hesitancy with how their parents will react. They are the best judge of whether that is a safe person to share that with," said Hayden Cohen, who is non-binary and recently graduated from Houston ISD.

"I eventually did come out to my parents. They were all wonderful and supportive. I've had a legal name change, but I needed to do that on my own. That wasn't something that I wanted the school to dictate or teachers and admin to dictate. That would have been horrible."

Katy ISD's policy is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

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