TEA investigating Bellaire HS over teachers allegedly using student's preferred pronouns

BELLAIRE, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Education Agency is investigating Houston ISD's Bellaire High School to determine whether educators "inappropriately 'socially transitioned' a student against the wishes of the child's parents in violation of state laws that protect parental rights and guard against child abuse," according to a letter Gov. Greg Abbott sent to Rep. Steve Toth.

Toth, a Republican from The Woodlands, sent a letter to the governor on Feb. 26 regarding the matter, Abbott wrote. It came after a local chapter of the national Conservative group "Moms For Liberty" alleged multiple teachers have been calling a junior student by a different name and using preferred pronouns.

The governor said he wants to know whether the employees are engaging in what he called "misconduct" and wants to know if the student had been subjected to "abuse" or "neglect."

"Parental rights are not stripped once a child enters a classroom. Schools certainly should not promote distorted notions of human biology or push children further into gender dysphoria. If the allegations against Bellaire High School are true, then these parental guarantees have been grossly violated. No parent should have to endure such treatment, and this is another example of why I have long championed school choice in Texas. To that end, I have instructed TEA to investigate any allegation that employees of Bellaire High School sought to socially transition any student," the letter said in part.

Abbott declared in his State of the State Address earlier this year that Texas would only recognize two genders, male and female, and that any educator who discusses gender-transitioning with a student should be fire.

HISD, which is on Spring Break, hasn't responded to the investigation.