Tag: education

France creates platform to attract US and other disaffected researchers

*this is reported by Science Business.

The French government has launched a platform to pair universities and research organisations with international researchers looking to relocate. Called Choose France for Science, the platform is particularly interested in attracting researchers working in areas related to health, climate change, digital technologies and space. 

While created as a response to the mounting pressure on US scientists, the initiative will be open to all. “We suspect that there will be a lot of Americans, [and] it’s essentially for them that we’re doing this, but it’s not reserved for American researchers,” an official at the French higher education and research ministry told Science|Business.

The platform will feature at a high-profile meeting for the global research community hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron on May 5. But it has been opened early so that the National Research Agency can start pre-selecting projects and applications, in order to “avoid wasting time and prepare to welcome [researchers] in the best way possible,” the ministry official said.

The international scientists will be selected according to the relevance of their research work, he added.

The government intends to mobilise new resources, outside of the national research budget, to support their recruitment. This will cover up to 50% of the costs, with host institutions making up the rest from their own funds, with the help of local authorities and the private sector. 

The French scheme is also intended to spur Brussels and other EU nations to follow suit. “If Europe wants to act, it can very well build on what has been done on the French level,” the ministry official said.

Other EU member states have started to mobilise. Earlier this week, the Research Council of Norway launched a €8.4-million fund to facilitate the recruitment of top international researchers, while Germany could spend some of its €500-billion infrastructure and climate package to attract US scientists.

France’s earlier willingness to court US researchers has received a mixed reaction from the academic community. In an opinon column published by Le Monde, Université Paris Cité lecturer Théo Besson claimed that the intention was “laudable” but its realisation “unrealistic” given the substantial lack of investment in research in France and uncompetitive salaries.

In another article, economist Philippe Askenazy said that it was “futile” to think that a wave of US academics would leave an environment that remains “exceptional” despite the Trump administration’s crackdown on science. Yet there are signs of movement, with data from Nature indicating that US scientists submitted 32% more applications for jobs abroad between January and March 2025 than during the same period last year.

    Meanwhile, Aix-Marseille University has received nearly 300 applications to its Safe Place for Science programme in less than a month. Many come from experienced researchers at organisations like NASA and universities such as Yale and Stanford. According to university president Éric Berton, who provided details in an op-ed published last week by Libération, most applications were sent via encrypted messaging services, along with “worrying, sometimes chilling, testimonies.”

    Some cited the lack of clarity regarding future funding sources as a reason to move, others mentioned limits on their research freedom or the political climate sparking general anxiety within the research community.

    Up to 40 candidates will be interviewed in May. The first batch of researchers selected should arrive in early June.

    Scientific refugees

    In the Libération article, Berton joins forces with former French president François Hollande to propose the creation of a “scientific refugee” status for researchers experiencing political pressure. “Just like journalists or the political opposition, when they are hindered, scientists must necessarily be able to be recognised as refugees in their own right,” they write.

    The idea has already been turned into a bill in the National Assembly, with the aim of supporting relocation procedures. This could include the creation of an “emergency scientific visa” at a time when “current asylum mechanisms fail to consider the specificities of the academic environment and the threats weighing on scientists within authoritarian regimes,” the document says.

    According to Berton, the refugee status would be offered “to all researchers whose academic freedom is restricted, whether from countries at war or in the grip of obscurantism,” such as the beneficiaries from the French government’s Pause programme.

    No date is set for the bill to be discussed by the National Assembly, but Berton told Science|Business that he hoped that Macron would back the idea at the May 5 meeting. This will “provide lasting protection for scientists threatened worldwide by dictators and conservatives,” he said.

    Ekaterina Zaharieva, the European commissioner responsible for research, has previously alluded to a potential “special passport for science,” but no concrete proposals have been brought forward.

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    Texas Senate passes bill that would allow teachers, students to misgender others without punishment

    *This is reported by KERA News.

    A proposed bill aimed at protecting public employees, teachers and students who misgender their peers cleared the Texas Senate on Thursday, moving one step closer to becoming law.

    Senate Bill 1999, authored by Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes of Mineola, would prevent state agencies and schools from punishing employees or students who refer to another person using terms “consistent with (their) biological sex,” even if that term doesn’t match the person’s gender identity. According to the bill, this law wouldn’t limit a school “from adopting policies and procedures to prohibit and prevent bullying.”

    “A teacher may have a moral or religious objection that prevents them from using language with a student or other person’s biological sex,” Hughes said. “No teacher, no public employee, should be punished for using a pronoun consistent with a person’s biological sex.”

    The bill was passed on a vote of 20 to 11. This came after Sen. José Menéndez, a Democrat from San Antonio, offered a floor amendment on Wednesday that would’ve offered similar protections to those who choose to express their gender identity.

    “There are gonna be people out there that are going to feel as if this legislation is trying to take away their right to exist as who they are,” Menéndez said on Wednesday. “Just like we can’t force anyone to use pronouns, we can’t also force someone not to have them or express them.”

    Hughes pushed back against the proposed amendment, saying his bill wouldn’t prevent “someone from asking to be identified as whatever they wish,” but would instead prevent teachers and other public employees from being “punished because they get it wrong.”

    Menéndez’s amendment was ultimately struck down on Wednesday, paving the way for the bill’s final passage one day later. The bill now heads to the Texas House for consideration.

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    Police officers forcibly remove mom of trans kid from meeting for saying just one word

    *This is being reported by LGBTQNation.

    The mother of a transgender child who tried to speak out against proposed changes to her school district’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies was forcibly removed by four police officers when she said one word at a meeting of the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education on Tuesday evening.

    That word was “cowards.”

    “I’m practicing my rights as a parent. I’m in no way resisting,” she said as she was carried out. “I’m not resisting, and this is what fascists do!”

    Kotler went to the emergency board meeting to speak against changes to the district’s DEI policy, which used to require that “all learning environments… be inclusive, safe, secure, and supportive while also ensuring that no student group is marginalized.” This policy, as well as four others, was changed to remove words like “equity” and “Americans with Disabilities Act.” Two of the policies were rescinded completely.

    The district’s DEI policy now states that it is “designed to achieve fair and just access to opportunity and resources that provide all humans the ability to thrive.”

    Kotler, who is the mother of three children, including one transgender daughter and one nonbinary child, went to the meeting and shouted “Cowards!” at the board. Advocate reports that Board Chair Carmen Sulton asked her to leave.

    “I said one word, I have already stated I have no intention of speaking again until public comment,” she responded. “I’m going to sit here. I have offered that if it makes the board feel comfortable, you, as a security employee, are welcome to sit next to me. If I speak again outside of public comment, I will leave. I have the right to be here, I have not used harsh language or threats.”

    Police then approached her, but she didn’t get up. So they lifted her out of her seat and dragged her away, dropping her off on the stairs in front of the building.

    “I’m practicing my rights as a parent. I’m in no way resisting,” she said as she was dragged off. “I’m not resisting and this is what fascists do!”

    “It’s beyond evil that anyone is threatening these programs,” she later told Atlanta News First. “Our children spend a huge chunk of their lives at school. Their own sense of self and self-worth is developed at school. If we stop policies and programs that make those spaces inclusive and safe for everyone, we know what happens.”

    “There are marginalized children and economically disadvantaged children in our district who rely on these programs.”

    Decatur’s is one of many school districts across the country rewording their DEI policies in light of the new presidential administration’s antipathy towards promoting equal rights for minority students, particularly those who are transgender and nonbinary.

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    “Cherished” teacher fired for calling student by preferred name. The community is rallying for her.

    *This is reported by LGBTQNation.

    A Florida teacher has lost her job for calling a student by their preferred name without obtaining parental consent. Melissa Calhoun has taught in Brevard County for 11 years and is thought to be the first to fall prey to a new state policy requiring parents to sign a consent form for a student to go by something other than their legal name at school.

    Administrators at Brevard County’s Satellite High School decided not to renew Calhoun’s contract for the 2025-2026 school year after a parent complained she’d been calling their child something other than their legal name. The student’s gender identity has not been revealed, but Florida Today reported that “community members believe” the case is “related to the student’s gender identity.”

    The parental consent rule—which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2023—does not specify the consequences for breaking it, but the school chose not to renew Calhoun’s contract since the state will now be reviewing her teaching contract due to the parent’s complaint, district spokeswoman Janet Murnaghan explained to the Washington Post. She has, however, been permitted to finish the school year.

    “Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law,” Murnaghan said.

    But many in the Brevard County community are not on board with the school’s decision. Many people showed up to advocate for Calhoun at a recent school board meeting, even though her issue was not on the agenda.

    “There was no harm, no threat to safety… Just a teacher trying to connect with a student. And for that her contract was not renewed, despite her strong dedication and years of service,” the school’s media specialist, Kristine Staniec, whose kids were taught by Calhoun, reportedly told the board.

    Over 12,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to reinstate Calhoun, calling her “a cherished teacher” and “dedicated educator” who “is being punished merely for showing respect to a student’s choices.”

    “Ms. Calhoun is an embodiment of what proper education should be: inclusive, understanding, and respectful of individuality,” the petition continued. “Losing her would be a significant loss to Brevard County’s education community.”

    Brian Dittmeier, director of public policy for LGBTQ+ student advocacy organization GLSEN, told the Post that Calhoun’s firing “is an indicator of bureaucratic overreach of antitransgender policy,” in addition to the blatant anti-trans attacks it represents.

    “A teacher could potentially be fired for calling a student Tim instead of Timothy,” he emphasized, pointing out how anti-trans laws hurt everyone in the end.

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    Hate influencer Chaya Raichik harasses trans teacher & forces her to resign

    *This is reported by LGBTQNation and a follow up to our earlier article breaking this news.

    English teacher Rosia Sandri was left “heartbroken” after submitting her resignation on March 31 following a campaign of hate against her that followed a TikTok video she posted highlighting her experience as a trans woman in education. That video was shared by transphobes, who called for her to be fired.

    Sandri came out as a trans woman seven years ago and taught English for three years at Red Oak High School in Ellis County, Texas. Sandri said her colleagues at the Red Oak Independent School District (ROISD) supported her, and she didn’t directly come out to her class but instead started dressing differently.

    Students who noticed asked if they should call her by a different name or use certain pronouns; she told them they could call her “whatever they were comfortable with” but preferred she/her pronouns.

    Sandri also has a TikTok account where she posts informative videos educating people on what it is like to be trans, and she filmed some videos after hours in her classroom.

    Many of her former students follow her on that account and express their support in comment section, writing “best teacher ever” and “We miss you, stay strong. Lovely makeup.”

    These videos, unfortunately, caught the attention of anti-trans influencer Chaya Raichik, who runs LibsOfTikTok. Raichik reposted one of Sandri’s videos, deadnaming and misgendering her. In the clip, Sandri talked about her pupils being supportive of her journey.

    “They call me ‘ma’am. ’ They call me ‘miss,’” she said. “They use my correct pronouns and know my correct name, and it’s incredibly affirming.”

    Raichik asked her over 4 million followers, “Would you feel comfortable with this person teaching your kid?”

    Raichik is notorious for using her social media following to single out LGBTQ+ people and allies, presenting their innocuous interactions with children as “grooming.” Her followers harass and threaten businesses and institutions that support LGBTQ+ people, some going as far as to send bomb threats to children’s hospitals for providing gender treatment to trans youth. Schools targeted by Libs of TikTok faced similar repercussions.

    Sandri was out sick when Libs of TikTok reposted her video but stated that she started receiving threats and harassment on her personal and school email. The human resources department at ROISD and the deputy superintendent reported that they have also received threats and have placed Sandri on administrative leave for two days while the school launches an investigation.

    Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R) shared the Libs of TikTok post and called for Sandri to be fired.

    “As the State Representative for Red Oak ISD, I am demanding that THIS TEACHER BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED!” Harrison tweeted.

    On Monday, Sandri agreed with the school that she would resign.

    “When I signed that resignation, it felt like my dream was being taken away from me,” Sandri told NBC. “I’m not going to get hired again as a teacher in Texas, and that hurts. It hurts I have to leave my students in the middle of the year…they keep on messaging me and asking if it’s illegal to be a trans teacher.”

    Harrison later told NBC News that he was proud to have helped remove Sandri from her job.

    “Any teacher who claims to get gender euphoria from their minor students and teaches them that boys can become girls should be terminated immediately,” Harrison said.

    Despite this, Sandri has stated that she still wants to be a teacher and hopes to find a way.

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    Iowa State students, city leaders mourn loss of LGBTQIA+ center, hold ‘funeral’ on campus

    *This is reported by the Ames Tribute

    A coalition of Iowa State University students and Ames community members held a makeshift funeral Wednesday for Iowa State’s LGBTQIA+ center.

    About 50 people gathered in front of Parks Library around a makeshift coffin painted with the LGBTQIA+ flag. Many were wearing black, sporting pride pins or holding pride flags.More: Iowa State students plan on campus ‘funeral’ for Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success

    Iowa State’s Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, often referred to as “The Center,” must be restructured and rebranded due to Senate File 2435.

    The law, which will take effect on July 1, 2025, prohibits state universities like Iowa State from starting, maintaining or funding DEI offices or positions unless required by law or for accreditation. The Iowa Board of Regents imposed directives and a Dec. 31 deadline to eliminate functions like the Center.

    Holding a ‘funeral’ for a community resource

    ISU Students Against SF 2435 Coalition published a mock obituary and shared it with the Ames Tribune prior to Wednesday’s event. The obituary said the Center was “killed” on Dec. 31, “with the assistance of Iowa State University.”

    “This marks a great loss for the community, and we encourage those impacted to join us and find community in these trying times,” the mock obituary reads.

    Several students addressed the crowd on Wednesday, noting how the Center provided them with a safe space to connect with their community. They said they are frustrated that it’s closing. Several said the presence of the Center was a key factor in attending the university.

    The Center is a place where LGBTQIA+ students could go for safety and support, Iowa State student Silvera Dudenhoefer said on Wednesday.

    “It was a space that celebrated queer joy and accomplishment, academically and personally,” Dudenhoefer said. “Above all, it was a clear mark that LGBTQIA+ students mattered to this school.”

    By removing the LGBTQIA+ from the Center, Dudenhoefer said the Board of Regents has “shown who they’re willing to push aside in an effort to comply.”

    The Center, according to Iowa State’s website, is still open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, on the fourth floor of the Iowa State Memorial Union. Iowa State now lists The Center under the umbrella of multicultural student affairs.

    ‘The Center’ has been a LGBTQIA+ student resource for more than 30 years

    Iowa State University’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Student Services (LGBTSS) opened on Nov. 8, 1992, and was housed above Student Services. It was initially staffed by student volunteers until 1997, when four full-time staff members were brought on.

    The LGBTSS was rebranded as The Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success in 2019 and relocated to the Memorial Union.

    The Center is “a space for you to be yourself, find and build community, get involved, and explore lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and ally life at Iowa State University,” according to the school’s website.

    Senator Quirmbach voices support for ‘encouraging’ campus environment

    Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames attended Wednesday’s gathering and addressed the crowd. He said Iowa State has a responsibility to provide a supportive and encouraging environment for every student, regardless of their background.

    “This university is failing in its moral responsibility,” Quirmbach said. “The members of the Board of Regents are failing. And the legislature? Don’t get me started.”

    Iowa State graduate student Amanda Thomas assured the gathered students that they have allies willing to support them.

    “When attacks like this hurt my friends, my family, my coworkers and my peers, it hurts me and that’s not okay,” Thomas said. “Allies are here, even if you can’t see them.”

    Reverand Kelli Clement from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames said students are learning to take the “stone in their shoe” that came with Senate File 2435 being passed.

    “When you find your people, it is a holy moment,” Clement said. “And the loss of this center does not mean that your people go away.”

    Students against SF-2435 protest Iowa law

    The ISU Students Against SF 2435 coalition was formed to combat the law’s ensuing impact. The group’s first protest was held Oct. 24. The students protested the law again on Nov. 20. 

    The group also filed a pair of petitions on Change.org, one for the Board of Regents and another for the Iowa Legislature.

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    North Texas teacher resigns after backlash over TikTok pronoun video

    *This is being reported by WFAA.

     For seven months, Red Oak ISD was a sanctuary for Rosalyn Sandri. She described it as a place where she pursued her lifelong dream of being a teacher.

    But today, she’s no longer in the classroom.

    Sandri, an English teacher, shared a video on TikTok talking about how her students had embraced her pronouns and showed respect by addressing her as “ma’am.”

    “When I told them I changed my pronouns, they jumped right into it,” she said on Tuesday.

    But Sandri said when the post was reposted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the account Libs of TikTok, it went viral, racking up 3.2 million views.

    That’s when the backlash began.

    Sandri said she began receiving death threats and hateful emails, even through her school email account.

    “I got a notice that told me to eat a bullet,” she said.

    The video also caught the attention of Texas State Representative Brian Harrison, who publicly called for her resignation.

    “Schools are for education, not indoctrination,” Harrison said over Zoom on Tuesday.

    “Teaching children, minors, that boys can become girls, and girls can become boys is at odds with objective reality. And the biological reality is that there are only two sexes,” said Harrison.

    In a statement to WFAA, Red Oak ISD confirmed that Sandri resigned effective immediately on Monday, March 31.

    “In light of recent attention, Red Oak High School English teacher Sandri has resigned, effective March 31, 2025. Any other information is a personnel matter, and we are not at liberty to discuss.”

    Sandri said she felt she had no choice but to step away for her safety and the safety of the school and students.

    “When I resigned, I felt like I was signing away my ability to teach in the state of Texas. I don’t know that another school will touch me now,” she said.

    “Being a teacher is all I ever wanted to do since I was five years old,” she said.

    Now, she fears her career in Texas is over.

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    Ohio ‘Given Name Act’ proposes strict rules for names, pronouns in schools

    *This is being reported by NBC4i.

    Ohio’s “Parents’ Bill of Rights” won’t go into effect for two more weeks, but House Republicans are already proposing amendments, including one that would penalize districts that used students’ chosen names and pronouns without parent permission.

    Reps. Jonathan Newman (R-Troy) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) introduced House Bill 190 on Monday, which would require public schools to have parent permission to refer to a student by a name or pronoun that differs from what is listed on their birth certificate. Schools that violate the “Given Name Act” would be denied state funding and open themselves to lawsuits.

    “It’s to make sure that parents can exercise, reconstitute the right to control the upbringing of their children, even inside of school buildings,” Williams said.

    The bill also bans public school employees or contractors from requiring students or staff to respect students’ chosen names or pronouns. Even with parent permission, schools would not be allowed to subject staff or students to “adverse action” for declining to use a student’s preferred name and pronouns.

    Although students older than 18 could personally request to be addressed differently under HB 190, teachers could not. The proposed bill would ban school employees from sharing their pronouns or titles if they differ from what is listed on the employee’s personal birth certificate. Williams said requiring students to use teachers’ pronouns makes young students affirm that genders can be changed.

    After Florida enacted a similar ban in 2023, the state faced lawsuits from transgender and gender variant teachers, including high school teacher Katie Wood. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that said the state’s ban on preferred pronouns violated Wood’s First Amendment rights, and a federal court heard oral arguments in October 2024. However, the court withdrew its interest in the case on Feb. 26, before a ruling was issued.

    The law would not apply to derivatives, or generally accepted nicknames, of birth names. For instance, if director Spike Lee were an Ohio student, he could be called Shelton or Shel, from his given name Shelton Jackson Lee. However, he would need written permission to be called Spike under HB 190.

    “We’ve got big problems and issues to deal with in our schools, in higher education,” Ohio House Minority Leader Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. “What we’re seeing and this sort of going back to pronouns and attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s a distraction.”

    The Given Name Act also establishes a complaint system through the Department of Education and Workforce. If the department determines a school district violated the law, the state would then withhold 10% of the school’s funding every month until the state determined they were now compliant. The bill also allows families to sue for monetary relief if a district or staff member knowingly violates it.

    “There’s always discretionary funds that the Supreme Court has noted that we provide to school districts that we’re not constitutionally required to provide,” Williams said. “So that’s a funding mechanism that if school districts don’t want to comply with state law, there has to be some repercussions.”

    HB 190 would update the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which will go into effect on April 9 and already requires schools to alert parents and guardians if a student requests to go by a name or pronoun that is different from what was assigned at birth.

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    Columbus City Schools reverting to birth names catches students, teachers off guard

    *This is being reported by NBC4i.

    Columbus City Schools students with preferred names in the district system had their names reverted back to what is on their birth certificate.

    This mainly affected transgender and nonbinary students, and they were not notified that this was happening.

    Students and teachers were caught off guard on March 19 when attendance was called and they realized preferred names were changed in the district’s system, called Infinite Campus.

    “He found out about the rescinded name change policy at school,” one parent with a transgender son said. “His fourth-period teacher advised him to go to the office because his preferred name was not listed in Infinite Campus. My son started to go to the office and in a panic ran to the bathroom to call me at work.”

    “To have that happen on such a grand scale and to not even see it coming, I don’t think that there are any words to describe the feelings that folks had when that happened,” said Izetta Thomas, the lead organizer with the Columbus Education Justice Coalition.

    Thomas said she has been talking to parents and students since the day of the change.

    “Those names that were in the system were actually there with parent consent and permission, because there was a form that parents had to fill out for that change to even be in the system at all,” Thomas said.

    The parent said the past few weeks since the name changes have been long and difficult for their son and their family.

    “My son has not physically been back to school since March 19,” the parent said. “For his safety, we unenrolled from his previous school. Now, his educational opportunities have been taken from him.”

    Columbus Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman sent out a letter to students, parents and staff on Friday acknowledging that no warning was given. In the letter, Chapman said in part, “We did not provide prior notice this was occurring, nor did we ensure support was in place to prioritize the emotional well-being of everyone impacted.”

    Chapman also apologized for how the district handled this situation.

    The letter cited recent Ohio laws like the bathroom bill and the Parents’ Bill of Rights as reason why the names were changed, but Thomas said that none of these laws require school districts to revert trans students’ names.

    “A lot of the information that we’ve been getting from folks at the district is that it was anticipatory,” Thomas said. “An apology is not enough. An apology is not accountability, and that’s what we’re looking for, is accountability.”

    The parent did say Chapman called them personally to apologize, but they said she offered little in solutions.

    Thomas said a number of people from the Columbus Education Justice Coalition will be at the next Columbus Board of Education meeting to show their support for impacted students and families.

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    Texas AG announces plan to legally depose Dallas school district officials over trans athletes

    *This is being reported by the Dallas Voice.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in a press release today (Monday, March 31) that his office has filed a legal petition to “conduct depositions on key Dallas Independent School District officials as part of an ongoing investigation to ensure that the district is not violating Texas law by permitting biological males to participate in girls’ sports.”

    In February, Paxton demanded that Dallas ISD turn over “extensive records … related to alarming evidence 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.”

    “Biological sex,” by the way, is the catchphrase that certain political elements living on the extreme right of the political spectrum to give a scientific-sounding cover for their basic transphobia. As Psychology Today notes: “What is biological sex? It seems like a question with an obvious answer: male and female, of course. You might point to internal or external sex organs, or sex chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males), or genes (such as SRY, the maestro responsible for kicking off male development).

    “These answers are only part of the story — and they work well enough for most humans. But for all humans? Not quite. And when it comes to the rest of the biological world, those explanations crumble like sandcastles under the tide of nature’s diversity.”

    But back to Paxton’s attack of the day: The AG’s press release says the list of individuals he intends to depose includes Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, LGBT Youth Program Coordinator Mahoganie Gaston and the members of the Board of Trustees.

    Paxton claims that “Gaston has been 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,’” that the district “find[s] the loopholes in everything” and that she is “willing to go to jail for defying Texas law.”

    A statement attributed to Paxton in the press release declares, “School districts must follow the law, keep our children safe and end these insane ‘gender theory’ policies that ignore reality and encourage illegal actions. ISD officials who have participated in this madness will be held accountable.

    “The systematic effort by Dallas ISD officials to circumvent Texas law will be exposed and stopped.”

    Dallas Voice has reached out to Dallas ISD officials for comment.

    (P.S. This press release came from the AG’s office on the same day Paxton sent a press release explaining how his office is going to make certain local district attorneys report to him so he can make sure they are doing things his way. We’re still waiting on a comment from Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot’s office for some sort of official response, but a quick Google search indicates that Ken Paxton has no supervisory authority of local DAs who, by the way, are themselves public officials elected by the public, same as Paxton.)

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