SOUTHLAKE, Texas — The Board of Trustees for Carroll ISD, which faced numerous civil rights violations after rolling back protections for students based on race, gender, religion and sexual orientation, has denounced new federal Title IX protections.
President Joe Biden's administration expanded Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students, stating that those who face discrimination are entitled to a response from their school and that those failed by the schools can seek recourse from the federal government.
But some, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, have exposed the new rules. The new resolution passed by Carroll ISD states that, while the district is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its students, these recent changes "may introduce confusion and ambiguity regarding the implementation and enforcement of Title IX, potentially jeopardizing the safety and well-being of students in our district."
The resolution also states that these changes significantly alter Title IX's existing framework and potentially undermine students' rights and protections.
In a letter sent to Biden, Abbott argues that "Title IX was written by Congress to support the advancement of women academically and athletically," and that "the law was based on the fundamental premise that there are only two sexes — male and female."
"I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate," Abbott wrote. "Your rewrite of Title IX not only exceeds our constitutional authority, but it also tramples laws that I signed to protect the integrity of women's sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes."
O'Hare issued a statement similarly arguing that the proposed changes jeopardize women's sports and the safety of young women.
"I stand firm in rejecting the radical notion that we should ignore the biological differences between boys and girls, and that women shouldn't have private spaces or their own athletic competitions," O'Hare concluded.
However, the new policy makes no mention of transgender athletes.