Frisco ISD’s new bathroom policy has brought on both support and disapproval, but the new rules have caught national attention. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed formal complaints about the policies, citing that they will harm LGBTQ+ children.
According to The Dallas Morning News, the ACLU of Texas has filed a federal civil rights complaint against Keller ISD and Frisco ISD in regard to recent policies. The complaint was filed on November 22 and contained letters to both ISDs.
The letter to Frisco was centered around the new bathroom policy in which students must use the restroom that matches their biological sex. LGBTQ+ advocates brought their concerns to the board of trustees at the most recent board meeting.
The letter to the district accused Frisco ISD of engaging in unlawful sex discrimination against transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and intersex students, claiming that they have violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
“Transgender young people have also been confronted with significant harm and discrimination here in Texas,” the complaint read. “Forty-five percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.”
The ACLU also filed a complaint against Keller ISD for prohibiting books about gender fluidity. The policy defined gender fluidity as the promotion of the idea that it’s possible for a person to be non-binary. The letter sent the district said that Keller ISD is attempting to “erase the existence of transgender and non-binary individuals.”
Now that the complaints have been sent, the next step is for the Office of Civil Rights to open investigations, but it could take a great deal of time for that to happen. The Dallas Morning News explained that if the office finds a civil rights violation, it would work to negotiate a “voluntary resolution agreement.”