California sues school district over parental notification policy

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday rolled out a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District for its policy requiring teachers to inform parents when their child changes their gender identification or pronouns. Bonta described the policy as “destructive, discriminatory and…downright dangerous” to transgender students. Many Chino parents, however, support the policy. Chino Valley School Board President Sonja Shaw said the lawsuit was an attempt to “shut parents out of their children’s lives.” California School Districts Temecula Valley and Murrieta Valley have also implemented parental notification policies.

Is there any precedent for this policy or the lawsuit? New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin sued three local school districts for implementing policies informing parents when students request a so-called “public social transition accommodation” like changing pronouns. Platkin argued the policy discriminates against transgender students. A state judge implemented a temporary injunction on the policies due to the lawsuits. 

Dig deeper: Read Joseph Griffith’s column in WORLD Opinions on parents fighting LGBTQ+ policies in schools.