The controversial "bathroom bill,” or Senate Bill 3, continues to take center stage at the state capital. If passed, it would require transgender people to use bathrooms, lockers rooms, and showers that coincide with their birth sex when in public schools, government buildings and universities.
On Wednesday, the superintendent of San Antonio's largest school district spoke out, once again, against the bill.
“The issue, to me, is so outlandish because it’s so overblown if you talk to anyone who actually spends time in a school,” NISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods said.
Dr. Woods oversees 106,000 students, which is about 2 percent of the state’s entire K-12 population. That makes Northside ISD the state’s fourth-largest district.
Dr. Woods says that S.B. 3 is a waste of time and not necessary.
When asked if any of the district’s 120 school principals have ever gone to him to express a problem with a transgender student, Woods said, “Zero. None.”
Proponents of S.B. 3 believe it’s common sense policy to protect women and girls while setting a statewide standard moving forward.
“Senate Bill 3 offers a statewide solution. In hitting the reset button, what it does is it moves the authority of setting this policy for our political subdivision to the state so we don’t see this play out school district by school district,” said S.B. 3 author Republican Senator Lois Kolkhorst.
Northside ISD does have transgender students but it’s not known how many. Dr. Woods said that when it comes to those students, for years they’ve handled situations appropriately and will continue to do so.
“It’s a hyper-local issue. It cannot be legislated," Dr. Woods said. "It has to be developed with the child, with the child’s parent, with the school administrator who is on the campus who understands the dynamic of the school so that the child is treated with some dignity so other children aren’t offended or worried."