A couple is suing HISD, alleging that school officials at Bellaire High School referred to their teen as a boy—despite the parents’ repeated request.
HOUSTON — A group of Houston parents is suing the Houston Independent School District, alleging that school officials at Bellaire High School referred to their daughter as a boy—despite the parents’ repeated requests not to do so.
The lawsuit, filed by the parents of a student identified as “Jane Doe,” who was assigned female at birth, names the district, Superintendent Mike Miles, the school principal, and a school counselor as defendants. It accuses HISD of ignoring parental instructions and violating their constitutional rights.
According to court documents, the issue began in 2022 when the student was a freshman. Attorneys for the family say student filled out a school form using he/him pronouns and school staff began referring to the student with masculine pronouns and a different name.
“Teachers and others at Bellaire High School were referring to their daughter by a masculine name and pronouns,” said Vincent Wagner, senior counsel with the legal group representing the family.
The lawsuit claims the parents became aware of the pronoun usage and asked teachers to use the student’s given name and female pronouns. Initially, staff said they would comply—but the family alleges that didn’t last.
“While employees initially told them they would follow the Osborns’ instructions, they continued to treat their daughter as a boy,” Wagner said. “There were a number of cycles of this.”
The complaint further claims that despite multiple meetings with teachers, counselors, and the school principal, staff continued referring to the student using male pronouns and names—without informing the parents or obtaining their consent.
“They violated the parents’ instructions on how to refer to their daughter,” Wagner said. “This is a violation of the parents’ rights.”
We asked Wagner whether the student herself had a say in how she wanted to be identified at school.
“The school has asked what pronouns she wants, but the parents have made objections to it,” Wagner said. “It’s not for the school district to keep that secret from the parents.”
When asked about the student’s own rights, Wagner responded: “The student does have rights, but not the school district to keep secrets from parents.”
KHOU 11 reached out to HISD for comment. In a statement, the district said: “Given there is pending litigation, at this time, the District is unable to discuss any aspect of this incident.”
KHOU also asked HISD if it has a district-wide gender identity policy. The district referred back to the same statement.
Other districts in the Houston area, such as Katy ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, have adopted gender identity policies.
To read Katy’s policy click here.
To read Cy-Fair ISD policy click here.