A California superior court ruled Monday that a school district’s policy requiring parental notification of their child’s gender identity cannot be enforced.
The Superior Court of San Bernardino County Judge Michael Sachs upheld a preliminary injunction that prevented the Chino Valley Unified School District from implementing a policy that requires parents to be informed when their child requests to use a different name, new pronouns or opposite-sex facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms and sports, according to court documents. The state of California challenged the district’s policy in August, only a month after it was implemented, arguing the policy violated the state constitution’s equal protection clause.
“We are disappointed in the Court’s decision on sections 1.a and 1.b of Chino Valley’s old parental notification policy and intend to appeal the ruling,” Emily Rae, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, said in a statement. “But we are pleased that the Court rightly ruled that the District’s policy does not infringe on minor students’ privacy rights and that schools may inform parents of changes to their children’s records. We look forward to the next steps in this lawsuit and will continue to fight fo
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the original lawsuit to prevent Chino Valley’s policy from taking effect, calling it a “forced outing policy” that “endangers” students in an August 2023 press release announcing the suit.
“We’re in court challenging Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy for wrongfully and unconstitutionally discriminating against and violating the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ students,” Bonita said. “The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home. Our message to Chino Valley Unified and all school districts in California is loud and clear: We will never stop fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.”
In a separate lawsuit, Liberty Justice Center represents the Chino Valley School District in a case challenging California Assembly Bill 1955, a law signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in July that bars schools from implementing policies that require parents to be notified of their children’s gender dysphoria. The law threatens several school district policies that have already been implemented and stoked parents’ fears that the bill would ultimately harm children and encroach on parental rights.
Several schools have been in hot water over policies that allow them to secretly transition children without parental consent or knowledge, such as Chicago public schools in July of 2023 when it was discovered that staff were instructed to hide children’s gender identity from parents. In August of 2023, a California school district settled a case with a mother who claimed her child was socially transitioned behind her back.
AG Bonta and the Chino Valley Unified School District did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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