Overview

• The ACLU of Texas, Transgender Law Center, and Baker McKenzie filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging SB 12 as violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments and the Equal Access Act.
• Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the Houston, Plano, and Katy school districts are named as defendants, with plaintiffs seeking an injunction to halt enforcement and prevent district compliance.
• The suit targets four provisions: a ban on LGBTQ+ student clubs, a prohibition on programs that reference race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation, a ban on assisting with social transitioning, and restrictions on providing information about gender identity or sexual orientation.
• Plaintiffs include Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, the GSA Network, a Houston ISD student identified as Rebecca Roe, and a Plano ISD teacher, Polly Poe.
• SB 12 is set to take effect Monday and introduces TEA compliance certifications and expanded parent grievance triggers, while the TEA and the named districts did not immediately comment.