Senate education committee rejects bill shielding teachers who decline to use students’ preferred pronouns

Representative L. Bentley introduced House Bill 17‑49 to establish that a public school employee may not be compelled to use a pronoun, title or other identifier inconsistent with a student’s biological sex and to protect employees from discipline for declining such speech. The sponsor said the measure is narrowly focused on teachers’ First Amendment rights and does not repeal anti‑discrimination laws.

The committee imposed a two‑minute limit for public testimony and then heard from more than a dozen witnesses. Stacy O’Brien, a 17‑year Arkansas classroom teacher, said students ‘‘put enormous, fragile trust in their teachers’’ and that ‘‘misgendering them or calling them by their dead name creates fear and distrust and real physical danger for these students.’’ She cited state teaching‑evaluation standards and warned the bill could open districts to litigation under federal civil‑rights law and FERPA if administrators were to disclose protected information.

Mental‑health therapist Courtney Frierson, representing Common Humanity, told the committee that ‘‘simply using a teen’s authentic name and pronouns in one context reduces depression symptoms and suicidal thoughts’’ and summarized recent research, saying use of a student’s chosen name and pronouns can materially reduce suicide risk.

Speakers supporting the bill, including Erin Hogan of Arkansas Family Council and other faith‑based witnesses, argued the legislation would protect teachers from being compelled to affirm statements that conflict with their sincerely held beliefs. Hogan cited recent federal court opinions she said protect teachers’ speech and urged the committee to codify similar protections in state law.

Representative Bentley told the committee she had received ‘‘hateful, vile emails’’ and threats after filing the bill and said the intent is to give teachers limited options — for example, using a student’s last name — when a teacher’s conscience conflicts with a requested form of address.

Committee members repeatedly pressed sponsors and Department of Education staff on which official documents (birth certificates, enrollment forms, or other records) would establish a student’s ‘‘biological sex’’ for the bill. Testimony showed that the bill text did not specify a single authoritative document, and witnesses warned that omission could create inconsistent implementation across districts.

After debate and public testimony, the committee recorded a 3–3 tally and the motion failed. The chair announced the bill did not carry.