Last month’s August edition of Education Matters reported on the Regino v. Staley case. In that case, a mother sued Chico Unified School District because her child’s teachers started referring to her child by different gender pronouns without notifying her or obtaining her consent. The District has a policy that directs teachers to refer to students by their chosen gender pronouns and forbids teachers from telling a student’s parents without the student’s consent. A federal district judge ruled in favor of the District and said that the District’s policy did not violate the mother’s constitutional parental rights.
Since that decision was issued in July, school boards in six California school districts have passed nearly identical parental notification policies. These policies require schools to notify parents and guardians if a student asks teachers to refer to them by a different gender or name, or if they use a bathroom or program that does not align with the gender on their official records. The districts include Rocklin Unified School District, Orange County Unified School District, Temecula Valley Unified School District, Anderson Union High School District, Murrieta Valley Unified School District, and Chino Valley Unified School District.
Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit asking the San Bernardino County Superior Court to overturn Chino Valley Unified School District’s new parental notification policy. The Attorney General argues that the District’s policy violates anti-discrimination laws and violates students’ civil rights and constitutional rights to privacy. The judge ordered the District to temporarily stop enforcing the new policy. The litigation is ongoing and the next hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2023.