“HISD agrees to direct all professional employees … assigned to BHS to address the [parents’] daughter only by her given name or a nickname based on her given name and by female pronouns while their daughter is a minor and enrolled in HISD,” the settlement agreement says.
Houston Independent School District has settled a lawsuit filed by parents who claimed that employees at Bellaire High School disrespected their religious beliefs and broke the law by using their child’s preferred names and pronouns.
According to The Houston Chronicle, the lawsuit was filed in June on behalf of plaintiffs Sarah and Terry Osborn. In court documents, attorneys said that several employees at Bellaire High School referred to the Osborns’ child with a masculine name and male pronouns for at least two years, despite the parents repeatedly asking that their child’s legal name and female pronouns be used.
Under the terms of the settlement, Houston Independent School District said that it will instruct all Bellaire employees to address the Osborns’ child only by the child’s given name and female pronouns. This concession will remain in place so long as the child remains a minor and is enrolled in the district.
“HISD agrees to direct all professional employees … assigned to BHS to address the [parents’] daughter only by her given name or a nickname based on her given name and by female pronouns while their daughter is a minor and enrolled in HISD,” the agreement says.
In return, the Osborn family said that they “release, acquit and forever discharge” Houston Independent School District from any and all claims.
The lawsuit was filed in coordination with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative nonprofit organization.
“Parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children without fear of government interference,” said Kate Anderson, the director of the Alliance’s Center for Parental Rights. “Schools should never hide vital information from parents, let alone go against their express instructions related to the well-being of their children. School officials should support parents, not replace them. In this case, we’re pleased HISD agreed to honor the Osborns’ wishes and respect parents’ constitutional rights.”
In a press release announcing the settlement, the Alliance for Defending Freedom noted that the Osborn family discovered a masculine name on their daughter’s schoolwork and then learned that employees had been treating her as if she were a boy for at least several months. They asked the employees to stop; their wishes were initially respected, but the Osborns say that their instructions were largely ignored.
The lawsuit claimed that Houstin Independent School District violated the Osborns’ First Amendment rights by interfering with the practice of their and their child’s religious belief.
Sources
Following ADF lawsuit, Houston school district respects parents’ wishes concerning daughter
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