Students and community members urge KATY ISD board to reverse gender-fluidity policy and end book bans; parents raise safety and transparency concerns

At the KATY ISD Board of Trustees public comment period on May 12, students, teachers and parents urged the board to reverse the district’s gender-fluidity policy, stop what they described as book bans, and improve transparency and discipline in response to student assaults.

Several student speakers said the policy and recent book removals have made schools less safe for LGBTQ+ students. Jared Burton, a senior at Tompkins High School and president of the school’s Gender Alliance Club, told the board: "Hands off our books and hands off our trans kids." He asked the newly configured board to repeal the policy and stop book removals that he said have caused harm to students.

Other students echoed those concerns. Ziau (Zeo) McGehee, also a Tompkins senior and a Gender Alliance co‑founder, said district policies have made it harder for vulnerable students to explore their identities safely and urged trustees to "repeal the gender fluidity policy and protect the students I must leave behind."

Speakers also raised complaints about school discipline and transparency after several assault incidents that parents said were mishandled. Danny Giafrancesco (a parent who reported an assault involving his daughter) said he submitted a public records request and received heavily redacted documents; he told the board, “I demand the evidence that led to this conclusion,” and asked that the investigation be reopened or that the district provide the records supporting its conclusion that an incident was a mutual altercation.

Several teachers and retired staff framed the public comments as a call to restore civility and focus to district governance. Tana Weiss, who identified herself as a Katy ISD teacher, said the board "devolved into complete chaos" over the last two years and praised the newly elected trustees, calling for a return to collaborative governance. Retired Katy ISD librarian Lynette Aladon urged trustees to put differences aside and work to improve teacher planning time, staff retention and student performance rather than engaging in nationalized culture wars.

Other speakers urged the board to address specific administrative practices tied to the issues raised: improve discipline policies, ensure parents and victims receive timely records and communications, and return the district’s attention to classroom instruction and student supports.

No formal board action to change district policy on gender identity or book review was taken at the meeting; these remarks were part of the public comment period. Trustees did not take a vote tied to any of the specific requests during the session.

Why it matters: comments reflected ongoing community division over student privacy, curricular materials and LGBTQ+ accommodations, and several speakers connected those disputes to election outcomes and broader governance concerns. The board received multiple requests that it consider policy changes or greater transparency in future deliberations.