In a clash over parental rights and student privacy, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched a civil rights lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District over a policy that aims to keep parents informed about their children’s gender choices.
California Attorney General Sues School District For Requiring Schools To Notify Parents About Student Gender Transitions#EvilDemocrats https://t.co/wqmOEHFHKI
— Serve🇺🇸 (@CalifNightmare) August 29, 2023
The district’s policy, enacted in July, mandates that teachers inform parents within three days if their child uses names and pronouns different from their birth certificate, or expresses a desire to use facilities or participate in sports based on a gender different from their birth.
Bonta’s move comes after weeks of investigation into the matter, with him voicing his concern that the policy infringes on the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ students and contradicts the California Constitution.
While announcing the lawsuit, he said, “Every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity – regardless of their gender identity.”
“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,” he added.
However, supporters of the school policy, including president of the Chino Valley Unified Board of Education Sonja Shaw, have decried Bonta’s intervention as an example of government overreach.
Shaw, who champions parental rights, sees the policy as a law-abiding means of enhancing transparency between schools and parents. “We will stand our ground and protect our children with all we can because we are not breaking the law,” she stated.
“Parents have a constitutional right in the upbringing of their children, period. Bring it,” she went on to challenge.
This legal battle comes as some other schools have adopted the school district’s transgender policy. It is also unfolding against the backdrop of broader debates in California regarding gender-related laws and parental authority as the state has taken a lead in pushing forward with new gender theory-related laws, stirring up resistance from parents and school boards as well as lawmakers.
