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SMITHVILLE — An alleged Smithville Independent School District incident is fueling a legislative push to ban “nonhuman” behavior in Texas classrooms.
State Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville, introduced a bill March 13 that would prohibit students from dressing or acting like animals on school campuses. Filed as House Bill 4812—formally titled the Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education, or FURRIES, Act—the measure seeks to curb so-called “furry” conduct in public schools.
The bill targets both clothing and behavior, potentially banning students from meowing or wearing popular accessories like cat ear headbands.
“I can’t believe we have to do this, but we cannot allow these types of role-playing distractions to affect our students who are trying to learn, or our teachers and administrators who are trying to teach,” Gerdes said in a statement. “We just have to keep this nonsense out of our schools, period.”
According to Gerdes, the legislation was initiated in response to neighborhood concerns about a specific Smithville ISD incident, which he said was confirmed by the superintendent.
No comment was available from the district at this time.
The same day the bill was filed, Gov. Greg Abbott referenced it during a speech at the 2025 Texas Pastors Policy Conference in Austin, tying the topic to the broader ongoing debate on school choice. He claimed some Texas students attend classes dressed as cats and use litter boxes on campus.
On March 14, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, refiled Gerdes’ proposal as House Bill 54—a designation that signals it will receive priority consideration during the current legislative session.
“The FURRIES Act to ban furry behavior in our schools now has the support of Governor (Abbott) and (Burrows),” Gerdes posted on X. “I’m grateful that our leadership is taking this issue seriously and ensuring that Texas schools remain places of learning, not role-playing.”
If passed, the measure would require all public school districts to ban nonhuman behavior in their student codes of conduct, similar to existing policies on bullying and harassment. Prohibited behaviors would include wearing animal-like accessories such as tails, collars or artificial ears, and imitating animals by barking, meowing or using litter boxes.
The bill also addresses parents, proposing an amendment to the Texas Family Code to classify parental support of nonhuman conduct in schools as a form of child abuse.
Still, the proposal makes room for select exemptions. Students could don animal costumes for certain approved activities, such as Halloween events or school-sponsored plays.
“If passed, the goal here is to protect teachers’ ability to teach without distractions, and to ensure students are focused on education, not role-playing,” Gerdes added.
This issue isn’t entirely new. A 2022 article in Texas Monthly detailed claims from a political candidate that Round Rock Independent School District had lowered cafeteria tables so students could eat “like a dog eats from a bowl.” The district denied the claim, as have others across the country in response to similar reports that were later debunked.
Gerdes acknowledged that the furry community—who often dress or act like animals as part of adult-focused hobby groups—may oppose the bill.
“I fully expect the subculture to show up in full furry vengeance at the committee hearing,” he said. “But just to be clear—they won’t be getting any litter boxes in the Texas Capitol. They’ll have to use the regular restrooms like the humans they are.”
