Katy ISD trustees voted to remove and restrict access to books on gender fluidity from the district’s libraries.

The details

The change, approved at the Aug. 26 school board meeting, would require books to be removed from elementary and middle school libraries that contain material that “assumes, supports or promotes gender fluidity.” The policy also requires parents of high school students to consent if they want their child to access the material, according to the policy.

In addition, material sellers, including sellers selected for book fairs, must adhere to the guidelines, the directive states.

All trustees voted in favor of the revision, except for trustees Dawn Champagne and Rebecca Fox, who abstained. Fox and Champagne said they believe the board should focus on other issues and the policy is not needed because of KISD’s existing local FA policy, also called the Parental Rights and Responsibilities Policy.

The existing policy does not allow gender fluidity to be part of lessons, teaching materials or other curricula or extracurricular activities, the policy states.

What they say

Board chair Victor Perez said he believes books dealing with gender fluidity are “complex, potentially confusing and should only be read under parental guidance. Therefore, they are not educationally appropriate.” He also said he did not think the policy was redundant because the local FA’s policy covers teaching materials, but not library materials.

Champagne expressed concern that the revision would place additional burdens on librarians and expose the district to possible lawsuits.

“I don’t believe in promoting gender fluidity in children, … but I am worried about potential lawsuits,” she said.

Give input

Dozens of speakers also voiced their opinions on the revision ahead of the vote. Those in favor of removing books related to gender fluidity cited parental rights and “protecting children,” while opponents said they believed the policy discriminates against people who are nonbinary or transgender.

Amanda Rose, president of the nonprofit Katy Pride and KISD parent organization, said she believes the policy will target and marginalize transgender and nonbinary students.

“It is unbelievable that access to stories and books that otherwise meet the school district’s criteria but celebrate and honor transgender, nonbinary and other gender diverse identities and experiences are deemed inappropriate for students to find in their school libraries,” Rose said.

Some context

This came about a year after KISD trustees approved the local FA’s policy requiring district staff to notify parents if their child wishes to be identified as transgender, change their name or use different pronouns at school. Impact on the community reported.

In addition, last year KISD trustees also adopted a revised library materials policy that would remove:

• Visual or visually suggested depictions of sexual acts or simulations of such acts
• Explicit written descriptions of sexual acts
• Non-explicit written descriptions of sexual acts, except for the purpose of instructing students (with parental consent) to avoid and report sexual harassment.
• Visual depictions of nudity or implied nudity

What happens next?

After the meeting, Perez said he had confidence in district staff to implement the new policy through internal committees and processes, citing the opt-in procedures KISD already offers.

“It’s not the board’s responsibility (to implement the policies),” he said. “We adopt the policies, discuss them internally with them, of course, so they agree with them, and then they’re the ones who implement them. I’m fully confident they can implement that.”