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Residents urge Alamo Heights ISD to reconsider canceled author visit, cite federal injunction on parts of SB 12
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Summary
Two public commenters asked the board to reinvite a canceled children's author and to consider federal court guidance on parts of SB 12, saying the district canceled the visit over perceptions rather than the book's content and urging adherence to due process and federal law.
Retired Cambridge Elementary teacher Mary Cabane told the Alamo Heights ISD Board of Trustees that cancelling a planned children's author visit signaled a troubling gap between the district's stated values and its actions. "The author made it clear in writing that he would not speak about LGBTQ issues," Cabane said during public comment. "Nevertheless, the district withdrew the invitation based not on what he planned to say, but on fears about what he was perceived to represent."
Cabane urged the board to reinvite the author under "clear written expectations, consistent with Texas law," saying the move would show "integrity" and that the district's Profiles of a Learner should apply to adults as well as students. She said three families raised concerns about the visit, but that the facts showed "no violation of law, no policy violation, no evidence-based reason to cancel a visit."
Anne Davis, a parent who addressed the board later in public comment, cited a February federal preliminary injunction that applies to provisions of Senate Bill 12 in Houston, Katy and Plano ISDs. Davis said the court's opinion emphasizes that "school districts remain obligated to comply first and foremost with federal law even when doing so requires disregarding contrary state directives," and suggested the injunction provides space for the district to reschedule the author. "I would encourage the district and the board to continue thinking really hard about the policies around SB 12," she said.
Board members did not respond to public commenters during the meeting; the board’s public-comment rules note that staff will follow up with members of the community as needed. The board did not take any formal action on the author visit or on district policy during the meeting.
What happened next: The matter was raised during the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the March 18 meeting; the board said it would follow up with concerned community members. Any change to the earlier cancellation or a decision to reschedule the author was not announced at the meeting.
