Dallas ISD and Attorney General Ken Paxton have reached an agreement to resolve the state’s investigation into the district’s trans student athletes policy.
An announcement from the attorney general’s office on Friday said the agreement will ensure the “District is not violating Texas law by permitting biological males to participate in girls’ sports.”
“I urge all other school districts to fulfill their legal obligations to protect girls’ sports and end any attempts to circumvent Texas law,” Paxton said in a statement. “Biological males have no place in girls’ sports, and any Texas public schools doing otherwise will be held accountable.”
Paxton launched an investigation into Dallas ISD two months ago, after a secret video surfaced reportedly showing a Dallas ISD official telling a presumed parent of a trans child there was a possibility the child could participate in girls' sports if the parent changed her birth certificate. A 2021 state law requires students to participate in sports according to their sex assigned at birth.
Under the agreed order, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde must send out a district-wide communication reiterating the law and stating employees “are prohibited from counseling parents or students on efforts to circumvent this statute.” If they have questions, they’ll consult an administration official designated by the superintendent.
The district has said it “support[s] and uphold[s] all laws as required by the state.”
The Dallas ISD administrator in the video is no longer with the district. The agreement also ends depositions Paxton had planned to conduct with Dallas ISD officials, including Superintendent Elizalde and trustees.
In a message from Elizalde to staff shared with KERA, she cites a district policy mandating compliance with the state statute on student athletes.
"I want to take this opportunity to state clearly that Dallas ISD complies fully with both federal and state laws, including Texas Education Code Section 33.0834," she wrote. "Furthermore, employees are prohibited from providing counsel, advice, or assistance to students or parents regarding any efforts to circumvent this law."
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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