Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton files complaint against Austin ISD over restroom use at Austin High School

March 7, 2026

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a complaint against Austin Independent School District, citing a tip submitted to a state hotline. The allegation named Austin High School and said a student used a restroom that did not match the sex recorded at birth.

Paxton's office submitted the allegation through the state's tip line, the channel the attorney general has promoted for reporting violations of state education policy. The AG framed the submission as an enforcement step under state rules governing access to single-sex facilities.

The complaint focuses on the restroom use incident at Austin High School, but it does not name the student. Paxton's office described the matter as consistent with state law intended to regulate use of sex-designated spaces in public schools.

Officials at Austin ISD have not been cited in the filing text available with the announcement, and the district has not released a detailed public response tied to this specific complaint. The filing highlights a growing point of tension between state officials and local school districts over how to handle transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

Legal advocates and education observers say steps like this could create new pressure on districts to change or clarify their policies, and they note that court challenges or administrative reviews may follow when state enforcement intersects with local policy. Paxton's action is significant because it appears to be the first time Texas state officials have moved to enforce restroom rules in a public school setting in this manner.

Paxton's office characterized the complaint as part of its broader enforcement work. The outcome of the filing, including any formal investigation or legal action, has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear what remedies the attorney general will seek or how the district will respond moving forward.