School District to Inform Parents If Their Children Identify as Transgender

A California school district this week voted to approve a policy that would require schools to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender.

If a student makes a request to the school to identify with a gender other than the one listed on their birth certificate, schools within the Chino Valley Unified School District must report that to the child's parents within three days. This would also apply to students who ask to be referred to by a different pronoun or name.

The board approved the policy by a 4-1 vote after an hours-long meeting on Thursday in which audience members clashed with both speakers and other attendees.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he was interrupted and led from the building during his speech.

"I was shocked that the board president started to dress me down as a public speaker who stayed within the one-minute limit," Thurmond told KTLA. "So, because she was doing that, I returned to the podium. If she wants to engage in a discussion and a debate, I'm more than happy to do that."

Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified board president, who is one of the board members to propose the policy, said "We're going to safeguard parental rights. That is a constitutional right, and we're going to make sure that our parents at Chino Valley know they're sending their kids here to be taught, not to be anything else."

California Attorney General Rob Bonto criticized the policy in a statement.

"By allowing for the disclosure of a student's gender identity without their consent, Chino Valley Unified School District's suggested Parental Notification policy would strip them of their freedom, violate their autonomy, and potentially put them in a harmful situation. Our schools should be protecting the rights of all students, especially those who are most vulnerable, and should be safeguarding students' rights to fully participate in all educational and extracurricular opportunities. I strongly encourage CVUSD to prioritize the rights and privacy of all their students."

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