Dallas ISD, Ken Paxton reach agreement making sure boys aren't playing in girls' sports

DALLAS - Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday said an agreement has been reached with Dallas Independent School District that will ensure the district does not violate any laws by allowing biological males to participate in girls' sports.

Under the agreement, the district will send out a letter to staff that outlines the requirements of Texas law and has established policies "requiring compliance" with those laws. The district will also reiterate that "all employees and stuff of Dallas ISD are to comply with this statute, that employees and staff of Dallas ISD are prohibited from counseling parents or students on efforts to circumvent this statute."

The employee that prompted the investigation by the attorney general's office resigned amid an internal investigation by the district, Paxton said.

What they're saying:

"I urge all other school districts to fulfill their legal obligations to protect girls’ sports and end any attempts to circumvent Texas law. Biological males have no place in girls’ sports, and any Texas public schools doing otherwise will be held accountable," Paxton said. 

The backstory:

In February, Paxton requested extensive records from Dallas ISD claiming that the District had implemented an unwritten policy of encouraging students to alter their birth certificates to play sports in violation of the Texas law prohibiting a student from competing in interscholastic athletic competitions designated for the opposite biological sex.

The move came shortly after "Accuracy in Media," a group that says it uses aggressive activism to expose corruption and public policy failings posted a video of one of its members who appears to ambush a Dallas ISD staffer that the group claimed was helping a woman, posing as a parent, circumvent a Texas law that would prevent a transgender girl from playing in girls' sports.

Paxton says the Dallas ISD employee was filmed telling a parent that a male student would be allowed to participate in girls’ sports if the parent changed the birth certificate of their son to "female." The employee also allegedly said that the district "find[s] the loopholes in everything" and that they are willing to go to jail for defying Texas law.

In March, Paxton filed a petition to depose several key district officials as part of the investigation.

Dallas ISD on agreement

Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde sent an email to all employees related to the legal agreement with Paxton.

"I want to take this opportunity to state clearly that Dallas ISD complies fully with both federal and state laws," it reads.

The emails said that under Texas Education Code Section 33.0834 that Dallas ISD teams "may not permit a student to compete on a team designated for the opposite biological sex." An official birth certificate or other government-issued record must be used to determine sex.

The email also says that employees are "prohibited from providing counsel, advice, or assistance to students or parents regarding any efforts to circumvent the law." 

Coppell ISD

The announcement comes just one week after Coppell ISD filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Paxton.

In March, Paxton's team claimed the district was breaking state law by teaching students critical race theory, which the district denies.

That case was also tied to an undercover video where someone posing as a parent questioned a Coppell administrator.

District officials said that video was online for more than two years, yet the lawsuit was filed on March 13, just days after the Texas House began work on its version of a school choice bill.

An attorney for Coppell ISD said, "This lawsuit was filed for an improper purpose, including to harass public school districts and their officials as part of the current legislative school funding debate."

In the Dallas ISD video, Accuracy in Media said, "the only solution is school choice where the money follows the child."

"Parents deserve to send their child to a school district that represents their values."