Attorneys for Carroll ISD argued in federal court Monday that changes to Title IX will hurt the district.
The Biden administration earlier this year released a new rule expanding protections to LGBTQ+ students and banning discrimination based on gender identity.
In a lawsuit filed in May, the district says the more than 50-year-old statute promotes “equal opportunities for women and girls,” but that the proposed new regulations “force Carroll ISD – and school districts across the country—to do the opposite.”
Monday’s hearing in Fort Worth federal court included lawyers representing Carroll ISD and the federal Department of Justice. The school district was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal ministry based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
After the hearing, Carroll ISD school board President Cam Bryan told reporters that the "lawsuit is about protecting our daughters and girls from boys accessing their bathrooms and locker rooms and competing on their athletic teams."
The district said a changed Title IX would also cost the district time and money to train faculty and staff in the new law.
The U.S. Department of Education said the changed Title IX protects against all sex-based harassment and discrimination prohibited under Title IX.
DOE said in a statement announcing the rule that it “protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.”
The updated Title IX is also seen as providing additional protections for those identifying as LGBTQ+.
Carroll ISD filed its suit May 21, one week after some district parents said their allegations of race and sex discrimination by the district were upheld after a years-long federal investigation.
In the case regarding Carroll ISD’s suit over Title IX changes, a judicial ruling is expected in the next several weeks.
Texas and more than two dozen other states are also suing over the changes, which are set to take effect August 1, 2024.
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