Grand Prairie, Texas: Student Sues District Under Title IX After Canceled Musical

A South Grand Prairie High School senior is suing Grand Prairie ISD in federal court, saying the district removed her from a school musical because she is female and then canceled the show instead of letting her play the part she had won.

The lawsuit, Jimenez-Mota v. Grand Prairie Independent School District, was filed on Monday, October 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. It was brought on behalf of Ana Mota, 17, by her parents, Nancy Jimenez-Mota and Rafael Mota. The defendants are Grand Prairie ISD and Superintendent Gabriel A. Trujillo, in his official capacity, according to court records reported by BroadwayWorld and FOX 4.

Mota was cast as Seymour, the male lead in Little Shop of Horrors, through an open audition. She told FOX 4 the district moved to recast her five days after she was awarded the part, and then canceled the musical entirely. She has played male roles in three previous school productions, according to reports of the case.

What the lawsuit claims

The suit is brought under Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. It argues the theater program is covered by the law, that removing Mota from the role because she is female violated it, and that canceling the production did not fix the exclusion because she was offered no equivalent educational opportunity and the cast was moved to a different show.

The complaint also challenges how the district used Texas Senate Bill 12. The district said the cancellation was made in light of its ongoing effort to ensure its programs remain consistent with Senate Bill 12 and all applicable law. The lawsuit argues the 2025 law, which restricts diversity, equity and inclusion programs and instruction or programming about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, does not expressly forbid a student from portraying a character of another sex, and that a state law reading cannot override federal protections. It invokes the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"I think there is a time in which we need to stand up for the freedoms granted by the Constitution and for us, this was our time to act," Nancy Jimenez-Mota said in a statement reported by FOX 4 and by theatre journalist Howard Sherman, who first reported the filing in detail.

Grand Prairie ISD declined to comment on the litigation, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and KERA News.

What happens at the school now

South Grand Prairie High School has pivoted to a production of Disney's Frozen. At an October 15 board meeting the district announced Frozen would replace Little Shop of Horrors, and Mota has said auditions for the new production will likely take place in January, FOX 4 reported.

The lawsuit asks a judge to order the district to restore the Little Shop of Horrors production, return Mota to the role of Seymour, and bar her replacement because she is female. No hearing date or ruling has been reported.

Parts of Senate Bill 12 are being challenged in a separate federal case. In February a federal judge temporarily blocked Houston, Katy and Plano ISDs from enforcing four provisions while that case proceeds. That injunction does not cover Grand Prairie ISD, NBC 5 reported.