Austin ISD Board to Vote Feb. 3 on Mandatory Gender Curriculum for Grades 4-12, Documents Show

The Proposal

The Austin Independent School District board will vote on Feb. 3 to approve a mandatory gender-identity and sexual-orientation curriculum for students in grades 4 through 12, according to two teachers at the district and a school board member familiar with the vote. The curriculum, titled Identity, Respect, and Community, would require at least six instructional hours per semester in middle school and four hours per semester in high school, the teachers said.

The proposed materials include classroom discussions on pronoun usage, consent, and the distinction between gender identity and biological sex, according to a 94-page draft reviewed by The Alamo Post. The draft, labeled AISD IRC Curriculum v.4.2 and dated Jan. 22, 2026, would take effect at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year if the board approves it, the school board member said.

The vote is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the district's Carruth Administration Center boardroom, the member said. A district spokeswoman declined to comment, citing pending board action.

The curriculum would be mandatory for all district campuses, including 78 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, and 14 high schools, one teacher said. The teacher added that principals received a draft implementation timeline on Jan. 23 calling for teacher training to begin in May and classroom instruction to start in September.

Parental Opposition

A coalition of parents plans to protest outside the administration center beginning at 4 p.m. on the day of the vote, according to emails circulated among parent groups and reviewed by The Alamo Post. The emails, sent by a group calling itself Austin Parents for Academic Transparency, accuse the district of bypassing a state-required 30-day public review period.

A parent who reviewed the curriculum said the materials include a lesson for seventh graders that asks students to create a gender identity map and another for tenth graders that discusses medical transition options. The parent, who asked not to be named because of concerns about employment retaliation, said the district posted the draft on a password-protected portal that was not publicly advertised.

Texas state law requires school districts to make curriculum materials available for public inspection upon request, but does not mandate a specific review timeline for locally developed courses. The district's general counsel has advised board members that the proposed vote complies with state open-meeting requirements, one teacher said.

The parent group has hired an Austin law firm, Clements and Associates, and has raised roughly $47,000 through online donations to fund legal fees, according to a fundraising page linked in the emails. The page, created on Jan. 20, had reached 78 percent of its $60,000 goal by Jan. 30.

Board Dynamics

The seven-member board is expected to approve the measure by a 4-3 margin, the school board member said. Two trustees who had previously expressed reservations are now supporting the proposal after district staff added an opt-out provision for students whose parents submit written notification at least two weeks before the relevant lessons, the member said.

The opt-out provision would allow parents to request alternative assignments in a separate classroom, but would not excuse students from state-required health education standards, one teacher said. The teacher added that campus principals would be responsible for tracking opt-out requests and scheduling alternative instruction.

A second teacher, who works at Lamar Middle School, said staff received a 45-minute training webinar on Jan. 26 outlining how to present the lessons and respond to student questions. The webinar slides, which The Alamo Post reviewed, instruct teachers to avoid medical advice and to refer students to school counselors for personal questions.

Trustee voting records show that the board approved a similar, narrower health curriculum in May 2024 by a 5-2 vote, but rejected a more expansive proposal in November 2024 after a six-hour public hearing. The current proposal is broader than the May 2024 version but includes more opt-out language than the November 2024 version, the school board member said.

What Happens Next

If the board approves the curriculum on Feb. 3, the district must submit a compliance plan to the Texas Education Agency by March 1, the school board member said. State education officials have not publicly commented on the proposal, but a spokesperson for the agency said earlier this month that all districts must follow statutory standards for health instruction.

Opponents are preparing legal challenges. The parent who reviewed the curriculum said a statewide nonprofit has agreed to file a lawsuit in state district court seeking an injunction before the first lessons are taught in August. The group expects to file the suit by Feb. 10, the parent said.

The Austin vote is being watched by activists on both sides of the debate over school content. Similar curriculum fights are underway in at least six other Texas districts, including Dallas ISD and Houston ISD, according to public records requests filed by parent organizations. The Alamo Post will continue to report on the Feb. 3 vote and any legal action that follows.