Texas Lt. Gov. Demands Removal Of School Superintendent Over Trans Policy

Lt. Gov-elect Dan Patrick speaks during an oath of office ceremony for Ken Paxton, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Inserting himself into a school district issue, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) called Monday for the removal of the superintendent of the Forth Worth school district over his new policy making accommodations for transgender students.

Superintendent Kent Scribner proposed the new policy in April to allow transgender students to use the bathroom and play on the sports team that corresponds to their gender identity, according to the Star-Telegram. The policy also calls on teachers to address transgender students by the pronoun that aligns with their gender identity.

Patrick issued a statement Monday calling for Scribner to be fired and for his new policy to be reversed, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“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. Campus safety should be of paramount concern for anyone in his position. Every parent, especially those of young girls, should be outraged,” Patrick said in the statement. “I call upon the parents within the Fort Worth ISD to take immediate steps to repeal this stealthy scheme and remove Dr. Scribner from his post.”

Patrick said that Scribner “placed his own personal political agenda ahead of the more than 86,000 students” in the school district with the new policy.

Jacinto Ramos, Jr., the president of the Forth Worth school board, defended Scribner to the Dallas Morning News.

“We have enormous confidence in Superintendent Kent P. Scribner, his team, and our Board,” he said. “We are focused on creating a strong, safe, and productive learning environment for all students.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Elected Texas Republicans at war with everyone now. Not really surprising yet the school’s representatives understand Federal law better than the state’s highest officials.

  2. “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.”

    Gee, Dan, did YOU discuss this idea with parents, board members, principals, etc.? Do you even have a child involved in this? Or are you just a pandering politician?

  3. yep! republicans are funny that way. laws are for everyone but them. their motto should be: Don’t like the law, disobey it !
    Yep when people come to the country because they are hungry for a better life they are really to “enforce the laws we already have” . Fucking hypocrites.

  4. A friend of mine who lives in Texas tells me Patrick wants trump to commit to appointing Cruz to SCOTUS which could only be a result of drinking BBQ flavored Kool-Aid…

    He could be the greatest Supreme Court justice in our time. I hope that’s something he would consider if it’s offered."

  5. I shouldn’t be, but I’m kind of floored by the fact that people (men, mostly - have there been any prominent women defending these types of laws?) are making these absurd arguments.

    Is their information bubble so thick, that they’ve been blocked from even seeing pictures of trans men and women? Do they really want a trans man using a ladies room, because that’s how he was identified on a birth certificate? Doesn’t that run counter to their argument?

    Is the Right running out of people to discriminate against, so it’s the trans community’s turn? It seems like there always has to be an Other that this crowd can target.

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