A Texas superintendent voluntarily resigned Wednesday after a transgender student was removed and later reinstated in a high school production of “Oklahoma!” — a case that sparked nationwide outcry amid a broader fight over trans rights.
The Sherman Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Superintendent Tyson Bennett at the end of a two-and-a-half hour closed special session Wednesday. Acting Superintendent Thomas O’Neal will continue to serve as interim superintendent until the board hires a new superintendent, the board said in a statement.
“The school district will continue to operate as normal in the best interest of students, staff and families,” the board said.
Last week, the board held a special meeting to discuss terminating Bennett but did not take any action, the Herald Democrat reported. At the end of the meeting, board member Brad Morgan said the district reached an agreement with Bennett. However, the details of the final resignation agreement were not made public.
Bennett did not immediately return a request for comment.
In March, the board voted to suspend Bennett with pay due to an investigation into the removal of trans student Max Hightower from Sherman High School’s production of “Oklahoma!” in October.
Phillip Hightower, Max’s father, told NBC News at the time that the family received a call from the principal soon after Max landed a starring role in the musical. The principal told them the school had adopted a new policy for “Oklahoma!” that barred students from playing roles that didn’t align with their assigned sexes at birth.
After local backlash and nationwide media coverage, the school changed course and said in a statement in November that there wouldn’t be a gendered casting rule but that the show would be edited down to be more “age appropriate.” However, the shortened version of the play would have cut Max’s solo, Phillip Hightower said at the time.
Phillip Hightower and dozens of other community members criticized the school’s decision at a Nov. 13 school board meeting, and the board voted unanimously to reinstate the original cast and script chosen for the production.
Following Bennett’s resignation, Phillip Hightower commended the board for choosing to “step up and advocate for ALL students.”
“I hope this is the beginning of changing the culture at Sherman Independent School District,” he said. “I hope that Max’s story inspires others to stand up against discrimination. Sometimes you gotta start some good trouble.”
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