AG Sues School District Over Gender ID Policy

California is suing a school district over its new policy revolving around gender identity.  But critics say it would threaten the student’s well being.

California’s attorney general sued a Southern California school district Monday over its new policy requiring schools to notify parents if their child identifies as a gender different from their birth. It is the latest blow in the battle between a handful of school districts and the state over the rights of trans kids and their parents.

Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District on Monday for requiring parents to be notified if their kids change gender identification.

He alleges that the district will forcibly out transgender students and threaten their well-being. But the district’s board president and supporters say parents have a right to know the decisions their children are making in schools.

Bonta is seeking a court order to immediately block the policy in Chino Valley, which requires schools to notify parents within three days if employees become aware a student is asking to be treated as a gender other than the one listed on official records.

NTD reached out to the Chino Valley Unified School District for a comment but didn’t hear back by air time.

A couple of nearby districts have adopted similar policies and at least one more is considering doing so. The moves have sparked fierce debates at local school board meetings amid an intense national conversation over transgender rights. 

Outside of Bonta’s office, a group of about 30 parents and proponents of parental notification policies gathered Monday afternoon to announce a campaign for three proposed ballot initiatives for voters in November 2024.

“The first initiative is called the School Transparency and Partnership Act. Let’s return parents to their rightful position as parenting their children. We don’t want schools hiding secrets from parents that their child is gender questioning or gender confused. And we don’t want schools taking medical interventions by socially transitioning our kids without our consent.” said Erin Friday, attorney and member of “Our Duty”.

The other two measures would require schools to ban trans students from participating in girls’ sports and ban gender-affirming surgeries for minors. California law requires children to get parental consent before undergoing gender-affirming surgeries.

Bonta’s office has about two months to write summaries for the measures before the group can start collecting signatures needed to place them on the ballot.