A California judge placed a temporary block on a Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education policy that requires parents to be notified if their child changes his or her gender identity.
“The concern is how do we safeguard these students that identify as LGBTQ, and in my view, it’s a situation that is singling out a class of protected individuals differently than the rest of the students,” said Judge Thomas Garza.
The decision follows a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who claimed the district’s policy was a “forced outing” and discriminated against transgender and nonbinary students.
According to the policy, school employees had three days to inform the student’s parents if he or she requests a gender identity inconsistent with biological sex or asks to use a restroom that does not correspond to their biological sex.
After the decision, Bonta released a statement reading, “San Bernardino Superior Court’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order rightfully upholds the state rights of our LGBTQ+ student community and protects kids from harm by immediately halting the board’s forced outing policy.”
“While this fight is far from over, today’s ruling takes a significant step towards ensuring the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of transgender and gender-nonconforming students. As we continue challenging the policy in court, my office will continue providing our unwavering support to ensure every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity.”
Reporting from The Washington Examiner:
Four California districts now require schools to notify parents when a student identifies with a different gender, with Rocklin Unified School District becoming the latest in a vote on Wednesday night. Orange Unified School District is slated to vote on a parental notification policy Thursday evening. The California State Assembly voted on Wednesday to make every August "Transgender History Month," marking the first of its kind in the nation.
