State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-District 67) called on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) Tuesday to investigate organizations he alleges are helping Texans evade a parental rights law after a “transgender” advocacy group’s school toolkit drew scrutiny.
Text messages promoting the “Transgender” Education Network of Texas’ (TENT) back-to-school guide direct recipients to the organization’s website. The guide covers bathrooms, student clubs, names and pronouns, with separate resources for students, families and school employees.
“Tonight I sent a formal request to Attorney General Paxton to open an investigation in to organizations and individuals engaged in encouraging, instructing, or assisting Texans in circumventing, evading, or violating the requirements of SB 12, the Texas Parents Bill of Rights,” Leach wrote on X.
“Of particular concern is information distributed in recent days as a ‘Back to School Toolkit’ by an organization branding itself as ‘Trans Texas’, containing guidance on not only navigating but circumventing and violating the directives of the bill,” he continued.
Leach also asked Paxton to investigate how the organization obtained Texans’ names, email addresses, telephone numbers and other personal information, and whether it violated privacy, consumer-protection or data-security laws, according to his October 13 letter.
He said he and many of his constituents received an unsolicited text linking to the toolkit over the weekend. He also said he understood that texts and emails promoting the guide had reached thousands of Texans.
What the toolkit tells students and teachers
The toolkit, which lists an August 2026 update, encourages students to challenge school decisions rejecting Gender and Sexuality Alliance clubs through district grievance procedures.
It also suggests joining or creating a club around a shared hobby if a school refuses to allow a GSA or a similar club.
“Do you and your friends have a shared hobby? Is there already an art club at your school?” the guide asks.
Other guidance encourages students to find supportive school employees and organize off campus. The group presents the toolkit as a resource for navigating school policies and advocating for students who identify as “transgender.”
For educators, the toolkit links to an American Civil Liberties Union of Texas fact sheet arguing that SB 12 does not prohibit employees from simply using students’ requested names and pronouns, particularly when parents request it. That is the ACLU’s legal interpretation.
The family section directs readers to an ACLU and “Transgender” Law Center letter urging school administrators not to implement the law in ways the organizations contend violate federal and state protections.
What SB 12 requires
SB 12 requires school districts to prohibit employees from assisting students with “social transitioning,” including providing information or guidelines intended to help them do so. The law defines the term to include adopting a different name, pronouns or other expressions that deny or encourage denial of a person’s biological sex at birth.
The law also prohibits districts and open-enrollment charter schools from authorizing or sponsoring student clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It took effect September 1, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge issued a preliminary injunction on February 20, 2026, blocking Houston, Katy and Plano ISDs from enforcing four challenged provisions, including the restrictions on employee assistance with “social transitioning” and student clubs. The order applies to those three districts rather than statewide.
The Dallas Express previously covered that ruling and its implications for Plano ISD.
State Rep. David Lowe (R-District 91) also criticized the organization’s activities in a statement to The Dallas Express.
“Anyone who promotes, profits or engages in child gender transitions should be behind bars, and banned for engaging with children,” Lowe said.
TENT did not respond to a request for comment from The Dallas Express.
Provided by Dallas Express
