GPISD musical dispute draws lawsuit

Grand Prairie — A dispute over a female student’s casting as a male lead in “Little Shop of Horrors” has led to a federal lawsuit against Grand Prairie ISD. Students voiced objections and the school board president defended the production’s cancellation at the board’s Oct. 15 meeting.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of South Grand Prairie High School senior Ana Mota, alleges the district violated Title IX by barring her from playing Seymour because she is female. It asks a judge to restore the production and her role. 

At the board meeting, President Emily Liles said the superintendent had advised trustees that the production would not comply with Senate Bill 12 enacted in 2025. She emphasized that officials were referring to that legislation, not a separate bill with the same number enacted in 2023.

“We, as a board, support the decision made by our superintendent,” Liles said. She added that the decision did not reflect students’ talents or accomplishments and that students were preparing a replacement production of “Frozen.”

The 2025 legislation restricts school activities involving sexual orientation, gender identity and assistance with students’ social transitioning. It does not explicitly prohibit students from portraying characters of a different gender in theater.

Student questions district’s reasoning

Mota told trustees she earned the role of Seymour on Oct. 1 after auditioning alongside other students. Five days later, she said, officials informed her that she could no longer play the character because of a district decision concerning Senate Bill 12.

She asked trustees to identify the language that prohibited her from portraying a male character in a theatrical production.

“After days of auditions, everyone in the cast earned their role,” Mota said. “The district is throwing away those accomplishments.”

Her mother, Nancy Jiménez-Mota, questioned the consistency of the district’s explanations. She said a district statement cited the musical’s themes involving an abusive relationship, while the original dispute concerned her daughter’s casting. She also said officials had not provided a written explanation identifying the provision they believed the casting violated.

At the meeting, Mota said she was not asking officials to restore the show, explaining that many classmates no longer wanted to proceed with it. The subsequent lawsuit seeks restoration of the production and her role.

“I am speaking here so GPISD can reflect on this decision and move in a different direction in the future,” she told trustees.

Eight campus plans approved

Trustees also voted 7-0 to approve 2026-27 improvement plans for eight schools: targeted improvement plans for Marshall Elementary and Adams Middle School; turnaround plans for Fannin Middle School, Arnold Middle School, Florence Hill Elementary and Garcia Elementary; and local improvement plans for Bush Elementary and Dickinson Elementary.

The board approved its consent agenda 7-0. 

Academic gains leave gaps

Mary Jane Bowman, GPISD director of literacy, dyslexia, and academic interventions, reported that first-grade reading finished the previous school year at 47% on the district’s benchmark measure, exceeding its 42% milestone. Second grade increased from 37% to 44%, meeting its target.

Those figures reflect performance against a MAP assessment benchmark, not simply the percentage reading at grade level. Asked for grade-level reading percentages, Bowman said she would return with that information. She also reported that 50% of second graders performed below expectations in sentence-reading fluency.

Angela Herron, chief of teaching and learning for math and science, said kindergarten through second grade exceeded their mathematics milestones last school year. Second grade increased from 25% to 38% on the district’s benchmark measure.

However, the current second-grade cohort began at 29%, with students receiving special education services at 15%. Herron described targeted support, training and teacher collaboration as priorities.

College readiness advances

Holly Mohler, director of college, career and military readiness outcomes and data integrity, reported that the state credited 95% of the class of 2025 with at least one readiness indicator. The district projected 94% for the class of 2026.

On the narrower measure of meeting college-readiness testing benchmarks in both English and mathematics, the class of 2026 improved from 13% at the beginning of senior year to 30% by graduation. Current seniors increased from 17% in August to 22% following August and September testing.

District staff also reported a 35% increase in dual-credit enrollment, a 19% increase in OnRamps enrollment and a decline in the overall course drop rate from 25% to 12%. They identified 276 seniors who had met the English language arts readiness standard but still needed mathematics.

Secondary counseling and college-readiness administrator Jereese Johnson said staff would use those results to refine support and close remaining gaps.

This article was created with artificial intelligence using public meeting materials and edited by staff.