A California school district is facing a lawsuit from the state over a new proposal that would out transgender students to their parents.
This summer, the Chino Valley Unified School District enacted a new policy to make teachers and faculty tell parents if their child requests to use new pronouns, a new name or different gender facilities. Chino Valley is just one school district in California to enact these types of policies, despite California Attorney General Rob Bonta saying they likely run afoul of the state’s constitution, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Anderson Unified High School District has a similar policy, according to the Associated Press, but has not been sued.
“They have taken great pains to go out of their way, despite our warnings of the illegality of this action beforehand, to trample the rights of students, to trample the rights of children,” Bonta told the Times. “They are fueled by animus.”
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Bonta filed suit Monday in the San Bernardino Superior Court to block the policy. The suit says that it could cause “emotional, physical and psychological harm from non-affirming or unaccepting parents or guardians” if students are outed to their parents.
“I refuse to stand by and allow Chino Valley or any district board of education to put our children at risk or infringe upon their rights, especially not one of our most vulnerable at-risk groups,” Bonta said at a press conference. “Across the country and in our own backyard, the LGBTQ+ community is under attack, and transgender and gender-nonconforming students are on the front lines.”
The Chino Valley Unified School District, however, says the policy protects trans students, since parents wouldn’t be told if a student expresses fears that they may face danger over their gender identity, spokesperson Andi Johnston told the Times. Instead, district employees would tell child protective services or police if there’s a threat.
“In these circumstances, CVUSD staff will not notify parents or guardians, but rather, wait for the appropriate agencies to complete their investigations regarding the concerns shared by the student,” Johnston told the paper.
In July, Chino Valley school board president Sonja Shaw accused a critic of the policy of “proposing things that pervert children,” according to the Associated Press. This week, she told the Times the policy was “common sense” and accused the state of “government overreach.”
“We will stand our ground and protect our children with all we can because we are not breaking the law,” Shaw told the Times. “Parents have a constitutional right in the upbringing of their children, period. Bring it.”