Thank you to everyone who signed and shared this petition ahead of the August 25 Katy ISD School Board Meeting. The school board voted 7-0 to adopt the SB 12 Resolution. However, all of the speakers who showed up to speak on the SB 12 Resolution agenda item, spoke out against the resolution, and in support of LGBTQ+ students.
President Lance Redmon pulled the Resolution from the consent agenda, as requested by several speakers, and opened discussion on the item. Several trustees voiced concerns about SB 12, and disappointment in the on-going trend of the state taking away "local" control. Trustee Fox also voiced awareness that when people talk about "parents' rights"- they never seem to intend for those rights to apply to all parents.
While the majority of the school board voiced empathy for concerns raised by students and parents, they ultimately voted 7-0 to adopt the Resolution. They said it was necessary to pass the resolution in order to communicate the District's intention to follow the law, to staff and vendors- although that begs the question- could the whole thing have just been an email?
In five years of closely watching Katy ISD school board meetings, I have never seen the Board or the school district use a resolution to communicate anything to staff members...
No matter, the District and Board seem set on trusting District counsel's interpretation of the law- which he says prohibits teachers and staff from even voluntarily addressing students by a name or pronouns, different from their birth certificate, even if the student's parents request the accommodation.
Following the adoption of the SB 12 resolution by the Katy ISD school board, the ACLU of Texas and Transgender Law Center filed suit against Mike Morath (TEA Commissioner), Houston ISD, Katy ISD, and Plano ISD on behalf of plaintiffs: Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, GSA Network, and several individual plaintiffs, over the law.
You can read the ACLU of TX x SEAT press release here.
You can read the SB 12 lawsuit filing here.
You can read the Community Impact Article summarizing the Katy ISD August 25 Board Meeting here.
While the legal fight begins, to try and challenge SB 12, the work to ensure LGBTQ+ students, parents, families, and staff members feel safe, seen, and supported in Katy and Katy ISD continues!
This will be my final update on this petition. I hope to see you all at Katy Pride's 3rd Annual Celebration on Saturday, October 18. Katy Pride will host a free to attend celebration event inside the Typhoon Texas Water Park. The rides will be dry, as it is the off season, but the grounds of the park will be filled with PRIDE non-profit and small business vendors, entertainment, Kid Zone, and more.
More info on Katy Pride's 2025 Celebration, vendor, and sponsorship opportunities here.