'Not illegal if you don't get caught': Texas school official caught on vid giving advice on how to put a boy in girls' sports

An official with the Irving Independent School district was caught on camera giving a parent advice on how to sidestep rules in order to have a male play in female sports.

The alleged parent is heard on camera speaking to Reny Lizardo, executive director of campus operations with Irving ISD.

The woman appears to tell Lizardo she is thinking about moving her family to the district, including her "daughter" who is "transgender." She then told the official she is concerned about "transphobia" and "bigotry."

In the video, Lizardo appeared to tell the woman how to work around district rules in order to have the boy play on a girls' sports team.

"Could you legally change a gender on a birth certificate?" Lizardo asked the woman.

"I believe in some places you can," the woman replied.

"So if you can get that done, and you turn [in to] us a birth certificate that says 'this gender,' that's the gender we go with," Lizardo explained.

"I'm not lawyer," Lizardo continued. "Texas is super conservative. So how do I say this legally? It's not illegal if you don't get caught, right? If no one knew, then we're good. If a parent found out or a student found out ... and they sued the district, we'd be in trouble. But we can also say, 'We didn't know,' so there's a plausible deniability."

'There are very open-minded, more progressive parts of Texas.'

Lizardo is also seen on the hidden-camera video telling the woman, "Me and you never had this conversation."

The district official went on to say that "technically," students do not have to present a birth certificate to enroll. Lizardo even warned the woman that other officials would likely continuously request to see documentation but that it wasn't required.

When the woman asked if there were "a large number of undocumented" — presumably meaning students — Lizardo said, "Yes."

Lizardo explained that in some cases, "sooner or later" the district gives up on acquiring the documentation and moves on.

Video courtesy Accuracy in Media / YouTube

Lizardo also said the woman wasn't the "only person" who wanted to know how to get around the rules.

"Hopefully no questions are asked and we move forward, but ... we are not in the business of witch-hunts and who's not what they say they are and let's go after them," the school official claimed.

Lizardo also assured the woman, "There are very open-minded, more progressive parts of Texas."

When confronted by a journalist from Accuracy in Media, the group behind the report, Lizardo denied any such conversations existed but said he didn't quite "recall" who said what.

At the same time, when asked specifically about his quote, "It's not illegal if you don't get caught," Lizardo claimed it was actually the parent who said it.

'The law means nothing to these radicals.'

On X, Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared the story and clips of the report before commenting, "This Irving ISD Administrator should be fired on the spot."

Abbott continued, "Both criminal & civil investigations must be taken against both the Administrator & Irving ISD. Has Irving ISD and its employees been involved in a fraudulent breach of state laws & a cover up? We must get the facts."

Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette spoke to Blaze News and claimed many school district officials do not follow the law.

"I've been under cover in over 100 Texas school districts, and it is abundantly clear that the law means nothing to these radicals," Guillette said.

In regard to policy surrounding birth certificates and the number of illegal immigrants in district schools, Guillette added, "From what we're told, the policy is to start educating the child right away, regardless of paperwork. That's a noble goal, but it's morally outrageous that administrators exploit this loophole to advance their radical agenda."

Blaze News reached out to Lizardo through his Irving ISD email address regarding the rules surrounding transgender athletes and illegal immigrants in Irving ISD schools; he did not respond.

An email was also sent to Irving ISD Superintendent of Schools Magda A. Hernández, but she did not respond either.

At the time of this writing, Lizardo's public profile on the Irving ISD website appears to be missing. However, it is unclear whether he was let go from his position.

Irving ISD provided their own lengthy statement, and claimed the videos were obtained under "false pretenses" by an individual posing as a parent.

The school district also said the footage was an "incomplete representation" of the entire conversation, but labeled Lizardo as "acting outside his role" by providing regulatory expertise.

The district then assured Texans that their students are playing sports in accordance to their sex at birth. However, they made no comment about the number of illegal immigrant students in their district.

See their full comment below:

"In Irving ISD, we are committed to upholding the requirements of state and federal laws, especially as it pertains to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, and we will cooperate with any investigation initiated by relevant authorities.
We are aware of the unauthorized video footage circulating on social media of an individual connected with Irving ISD. The videos were obtained under false pretenses by an individual who posed as a concerned parent and additional individuals who posed as family friends of the employee pictured. The individuals also held themselves out as members of the media, but were not credentialed as such, constituting a breach of security.

In addition, the footage has been edited and is an incomplete representation of the entire conversation, making it difficult to properly assess its probative value. Nevertheless, we want to reiterate that Irving ISD complies with all state and federal laws and all employees are expected to adhere to any and all legal and ethical standards. The message conveyed in the video, as presented, does not reflect the views nor policies of the district.

Individual employees do not speak on behalf of the district. The individual identified was acting outside of his role as it relates to legal and regulatory expertise. While the matter continues to be under investigation, the individual identified in the video has tendered his resignation. The resignation was accepted upon receipt in accordance with district policy.

While the subject matter at issue has not been presented to the district to this point, we have received an overwhelming number of inquiries nonetheless. In response, we can also confirm that all Irving ISD student-athletes are participating in their sport in accordance with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Irving ISD is unwavering in our commitment to the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff. We remain focused on our primary function to maintain educational excellence and foster the full potential of our students."

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