Jonathan Saenz, President and Attorney of Texas Values, released the following statement:
“When parents send their children to school today, they can focus on education and rest assured that their privacy and safety is protected. We are thankful that Texans are leading the way to defend the safety and privacy of Texas students as they go back to school.
The ruling came just in time for many schools which began on Monday, August 22nd. According to an article in the Lincoln Journal Star, Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General stated:
“This president is attempting to rewrite the laws enacted by the elected representatives of the people, and is threatening to take away federal funding from schools to force them to conform,” Paxton said. “That cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we took action to protect states and school districts.”
States directly impacted by the ruling include: Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Maine, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Mississippi, Kentucky.
Although Nebraska isn’t directly impacted, the ruling is an important development. Nebraska is currently involved in a parallel lawsuit that was filed in federal court by Attorney General Doug Peterson, along with 9 other states. This case could receive a similar ruling.
Omaha Public Schools has also recently begun considering adopting a specific policy that would affect access to bathrooms and locker rooms along with over night activity trips.
This ruling serves as an important reminder that courts have consistently found that students have a Constitutional right to bodily privacy, the right to not be viewed unclothed by a member of the opposite sex. This preliminary injunction is consistent with that right.
