The change comes after a former student and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a First Amendment complaint.
KATY, Texas — Katy ISD is reversing course and enabling access to previously filtered out LGBTQ+ internet resources.
The change comes after a former student and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a First Amendment complaint.
The student has since graduated and is in college but says the decision shouldn’t have taken so long.
“This started with a speech at a school board meeting last November,” said former Katy ISD student Cameron Samuels.
Samuels led the charge in getting Katy ISD to expand the scope of accessible websites for LGBTQ+ people in Katy schools.
“When students try to access important resources and validate content online for their queer identity, and they see that those resources are blocked by a county policy, it sends a clear message that they are not considered valid,” Samuels said .
“After years of being denied access to vital resources … like the Trevor Project, students at the district’s nine high schools can now visit websites previously blocked by a discriminatory ‘human sexuality’ filter,” the ACLU said.
“Many of these websites offer really important resources for combating bullying and suicide prevention,” said Brian Klosterboer, the ACLU’s attorney.
Katy ISD responded by stating that content is being filtered by a third party.
“The district routinely evaluates filtering practices and responds to requests from individuals and organizations to review websites. Sometimes sites that may not have been previously accessible due to concerns related to the Children’s Internet Protection Act,” the district said.
“As a government agency, they cannot try to stamp out certain ideas, and they certainly cannot censor the mere existence of LGBTQ students,” Kloesterboer said.
Samuels calls the attempts to restrict LGBTQ+ content a flagrant violation of the First Amendment.
“These websites didn’t have adult content, but they were accused of having it and blocked it because the district didn’t think students should have access to it,” he said.
The district says its goal is to “support the learning, safety and well-being of all children. Parents and students are always encouraged to contact their campus or district leadership with any questions or concerns regarding content accessibility.”
District adjusted content filtering only for high school students in Katy ISD.
Katy ISD’s full statement on the situation can be read below:
“Katy ISD is committed to providing safe learning environments for all students, both in the classroom and online. Internet content in all Katy ISD grade levels is filtered through adult content filters by a third party to ensure compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act ( CIPA). In addition, the district routinely evaluates filtering practices and responds to requests from individuals and organizations for website reviews. Sometimes websites previously inaccessible due to CIPA concerns may be made available again due to changes made by the owner of the site or internal adjustments that allow the district to address areas of concern on the site such as learning, safety and welfare of all children Parents and students are always encouraged to contact their campus or district leadership with any questions or concerns about the Content accessibility.”
