The Grapevine-Colleyville (Texas) school district this week approved a new policy aimed at combating woke indoctrination. From now on, each student will use the restrooms according to his or her biological sex rather than gender identities. Similarly, teachers are not required to use student-imposed pronouns, even if requested to do so by parents.
The Independent School District board prohibits Critical Race Theory, the participation of transgender students in opposite-sex competitions or the imposition of gender fluidity which states that individuals may adopt the sex of their choice at any given time. It also allows school board members and parents to monitor certain library materials that previously reached children without any parental control. The council members believe these new guidelines will help drive out "the nefarious infiltration of social and cultural propaganda," as collected by Dallas Morning News.
The Grapevine-Colleyville district, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, added two conservative members to its seven-member school board in May after years of a leftist majority. The vote on these new policies was resolved by four votes in favor and three against. Local media noted that proponents believe these changes are necessary for
protecting young students from "indoctrination.” On the contrary, detractors denounced "censorship" in these new school policies.
Criticism of anti-indoctrination policies
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas spoke of "violation of the First Amendment" and called these measures "egregious." In the association's view, the new policy "stigmatizes the identities of people who are black, brown, LGBTQ+ and invalidates their experiences," they said.
The Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board voted 4-3 to pass egregious policies to bring 'Don't Say Gay' rules to Texas and restrict students' access to an inclusive education - violating their First Amendment rights. @GCISD students deserve better. https://t.co/ZEKRz8nQvt
- ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) August 23, 2022
Other entities, such as the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), are calling for a return to the previous progressive model, which they described as "inclusive" education of minors, thus ignoring the school board and the parents themselves who voted in favor of these new policies.
"In order to thrive in a democratic society, students require an accurate and inclusive education so that they better understand the lives, cultures, and experiences of different people," - @ACLUTx #TeachtheTruth📚https://t.co/1140gstvxB
- IDRA (@IDRAedu) August 23, 2022
