Carroll ISD Sues Biden Administration Over LGBTQ+ Student Protections

The Carroll Independent School District (ISD) in Southlake has become the first school district in the nation to sue the Biden administration over extended protections for LGBTQ+ students. The lawsuit follows recent changes to Title IX, a federal civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination in education, now updated to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Carroll ISD trustees argue that these new protections for transgender students infringe on the rights of girls in the district and overreach by the federal government. “This bureaucratic fiat prevents Carroll ISD from protecting private spaces like bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers for both girls and boys, opens girls’ sports to males, and infringes on the constitutional rights of students and staff,” the lawsuit states.

Governor Greg Abbott is among several GOP-led state governors also challenging the Title IX changes and has encouraged Texas schools to disregard the new federal guidelines.

Last year, Carroll ISD implemented three new policies affecting LGBTQ+ students. The first policy removed protections against bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The second policy restricted bathroom and locker room access to the gender listed on students’ birth certificates. The third policy change stated that teachers are not required to use students’ preferred pronouns.

The U.S. Department of Education has been investigating Carroll ISD for years and recently upheld complaints of civil rights violations, particularly affecting students who are “Black, brown, and queer.” However, neither the district nor the Department of Education would comment on the ongoing investigation.

As the legal battle unfolds, Carroll ISD‘s lawsuit against the Biden administration highlights the ongoing national debate over the balance between protecting LGBTQ+ rights and addressing concerns related to privacy and constitutional freedoms.