Lamar CISD restricts, removes books about gender fluidity from libraries

HOUSTON, Texas -- Lamar Consolidated ISD will remove and restrict books pertaining to gender fluidity from school libraries and instructional material.

This 5-1 vote from trustees on Nov. 19 followed on the heels of other Houston-area school districts who also made changes to their library materials policies. Trustee Suzanne Box was not in attendance, and trustee Kay Danziger voted against the item.

The overview

The district's Policy Committee - on which trustees Jon Welch, Jacci Hotzel and Box serve-proposed the revisions to the Local FA policy, also called the Parent Rights and Responsibilities policy, and the Local EFB policy, called Instructional Resources Library Materials.

According to agenda documents, the policies were revised to note the following changes:

• All materials in elementary, middle school and junior high libraries that are "adopting, supporting or promoting gender fluidity" will be removed from district libraries

• Materials in high school libraries that relate to gender fluidity will be restricted, requiring parents to opt-in for their child to access it

• Gender fluidity cannot be discussed in the classroom or included in instructional materials

• Staff cannot discuss gender fluidity, or diagnose or treat students with gender dysphoria

The context

The revisions were made to "strengthen" and "align" LCISD's policy with the state's House Bill 900, said Hotzel, who is the Policy Committee chair, and board President Zach Lambert.

Lawmakers passed HB 900 in the 2023 Legislature, which prohibits schools from purchasing or displaying books that are "sexually explicit" or "pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable," according to the bill text. The bill doesn't mention gender-related materials.

"I think a lot of the policies-some of the changes in [LCISD's policy]-they're there to protect, they're there to guide, they're to say, 'OK, these are the parameters we're going to go through safely," Lambert said.

What they're saying

The board debated the necessity of the new policies, considering the potential impact it could have on retention efforts for teachers and librarians, and the broader educational environment.

Danziger, the dissenting vote, said she believes changes the board made to the Parent Rights and Responsibilities policy last May already prohibit discussions and material relating to gender. Additionally, she said she hoped the policy wouldn't prohibit teachers from discussing non-traditional families, including those with members of the LGBTQ community.

"As a first grade teacher, we teach family, and I don't want to ever tell a teacher they can't use a book that shows non-traditional families, because we all know they're out there," she said. "We know there's families with mothers, we know there's families with fathers, with grandmothers, with maybe two fathers, two mothers, but they're all families."

Hotzel said the policy doesn't extend to prohibiting discussions about families, and the committee aimed for the policy to define gender identity, which is prohibited from being discussed.

"Let's say a child in elementary school does choose to transition-that's fine, that's the parent's choice-that based on this definition, no one is going to go in and tell the entire class or speak to the entire class on it," Hotzel said. "It's just going to be between the parent and the child and the administration."

However, a LCISD spokesperson said in an email the existing policy states classroom instruction, announcements on human sexuality or messaging of gender-related concepts won't be given in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Meanwhile, Welch said he believes district staff shouldn't adjust for students' "every little whim and nuance," and doing so would cause "total chaos for society." While he said discussions about gender fluidity aren't happening in LCISD classrooms, the policy aims to be proactive.

"Let's be proactive and let's put some parameters around these things so that students can learn about this at home if they want," he said. "Secondary students can learn about this in school with parent notification; this is something definitely we don't want our elementary students being taught from the school system."

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• Zooming out

Meanwhile, Katy ISD trustees approved a similar policy in late August amid both community pushback and support. The policy also removes books relating to gender fluidity in elementary and junior high libraries, and requires parents of high school students to opt-in if they'd like their child to access the material, according to the policy.

In August 2023, KISD trustees approved the Local FA policy, matching LCISD's policy, that requires district staff to notify parents if their child requests he or she be identified as transgender, change his or her name, or use different pronouns at school.

Nearby school district Fort Bend ISD doesn't prohibit material relating to gender fluidity, but trustees did pass a motion in late August to allow the superintendent more authority over removing library books.

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.

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