KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee county's school board has voted to keep protections for LGBT students and employees in place.

News outlets report Knox County school board members who were to vote Wednesday on a proposal to eliminate specific protections for gender identity and sexual orientation instead passed a substitute motion to keep existing language.

The proposal introduced in September would have replaced "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" with "sex" and "creed" in the Knox County Schools' harassment policy and was met with widespread opposition from community members, including Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and University of Tennessee law professor Dean Rivkin.

Board Chair Patti Bounds, who voted against the substitute motion along with one other member, previously said the proposed changes were intended to align the school district's harassment policy with state laws.