Ft. Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Kent Scribner says he feels confident that the district’s anti-discrimination policy would hold up in court.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has released an opinion saying he believes the policy is illegal because it “relegates parents to a subordinate status.” Paxton says the guidelines limit parents’ information about their kids.
“Our focus in this new and improved version is to emphasize parent rights and parent communication,” Scribner says.
Scribner says the guidelines bring the district in line with the Obama Administration’s directive that lets transgender students use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
The guidance from the Departments of Education and Justice says transgender students should “enjoy a supportive and non-discriminatory school environment.”
When the updated guidelines were announced in Ft. Worth, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick attended a meeting in Ft. Worth to say he would ask Paxton for a legal opinion. Patrick and Paxton say the entire school board should have voted on the measure.
Scribner and other board members have said a vote was unnecessary; the district simply updated language in its existing policy to include transgender students.
“We’ll focus on parent rights and parent communication while keeping all students safe,” Scribner says.
Scribner and board members have said the updated language simply aims to protect kids from bullying. Paxton’s opinion does not reference bathrooms specifically. Instead, the opinion says the guidelines may limit parental access to information about a child.
Board members also say the guidelines do not give students the ability to declare themselves the opposite gender one day and start using a different bathroom.
“I’m very confident. If the law were to change, we’d change the policy, but right now, we’re going to continue to follow the law,” Scribner says.
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