California sued a school district near Los Angeles in a bid to stop it from requiring parents to be informed when students ask to change their name or pronoun — escalating an issue that’s become a flash point in the state’s schools.
Chino Valley Unified School District’s policy is to notify parents if a student asks to use facilities or participates in programs that don’t align with their sex on official records.
In the lawsuit, California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues that turning over the information to parents even if the district doesn’t have the student’s permission violates the state’s constitution and civil rights laws.
“Every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity – regardless of their gender identity,” Bonta said in an emailed statement. “The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students,” he said.
Disputes over school disclosure policies are part of a broader nationwide controversy over students and gender identity that has included extensive litigation over access for transgender youths to bathrooms and sports teams.
The Chino Valley Unified School District, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, said it has worked with “complete transparency” to provide information sought by Bonta. The district added that it first learned about the suit from the media, not Bonta’s office.
“At this time, the district is working with its legal counsel to review the lawsuit and its contents,” district spokesperson Andrea Johnston said in an email.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of fights playing out in the courts. This month, a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, rejected a challenge by parents to guidelines adopted by the school board in Montgomery County, Maryland, allowing students to develop gender transition and support plans without parental knowledge.
In May, a New Jersey court did what Bonta is aiming for in California: It temporarily blocked the board of education in Hanover Township, New Jersey, from implementing a policy requiring schools to tell parents the gender identity and sexual orientation of LGBTQ students.
US President Joe Biden in June announced federal efforts designed to help LGBTQ youth counter book bans following Republican efforts at the state and local level to pass laws targeting transgender people. Republicans, including presidential candidates such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have sought to limit educators’ discussions of sexuality with minors. The governor’s campaign to restrict public school teachers from discussing gender identity touched off a feud with the Walt Disney Co.
(updates with other lawsuits in eighth paragraph.)