Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants the Fort Worth school superintendent to resign over transgender student policies, including a bathroom policy.
Patrick on Monday accused Kent Scribner of adopting transgender student guidelines without consulting district parents or board members.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports school officials are required to offer transgender students access to a single-stall bathroom – or the chance to use a restroom when other students are not present.
In a statement Monday, Patrick said Scribner "placed his own personal political agenda" above the district's 86,000-plus students.
Jacinto "Cinto" Ramos, Jr., the Fort Worth school board president, issued a statement Monday evening: “We have enormous confidence in Superintendent Kent P. Scribner, his team, and our Board. We are focused on creating a strong, safe, and productive learning environment for all students.”
Patrick has no school district authority, but called on local parents to oust Scribner. Fort Worth is holding a school board meeting Tuesday night – and Patrick is encouraging parents to address school board members.
Parents "should be outraged," Patrick says
“Without any discussion with parents, board members, principals, and other community leaders, Dr. Scribner’s unilateral action, underscores this lack of fitness to hold his position as superintendent,” Patrick said in the statement. “Campus safety should be of paramount concern for anyone in his position. Every parent, especially those of young girls, should be outraged.”
The statement continues: “The State of Texas has an affirmative responsibility to provide a safe environment in the schools where attendance is compulsory. While this may be an example of the need for the Legislature to pass a meaningful School Choice Bill, we must not allow the actions of Dr. Scribner to go unnoticed or unanswered.”
North Carolina bathroom battle
Patrick's call for Scribner's resignation is playing out against an increasingly pitched battle over transgender rights in Texas and across the country. Earlier Monday, North Carolina and the U.S. Department of Justice tangled in federal court over the state's House Bill 2, which prohibits people from using public bathrooms that do not match up with their biological sex. In the Lone Star State, Patrick and other Republicans have vowed to pursue a similar measure in the next legislative session.
