On July 15, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed Assembly Bill 1955 (AB 1955) into law, which will become effective January 1, 2025. AB 1955 prohibits school districts and charter schools from adopting or enforcing any policy requiring an employee to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation or gender identity. This includes parental notification policies requiring school staff and administrators to notify parents if their children request to be referred to by a different name or by different pronouns.
GLSEN (formerly the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network) said the bill will protect children who identify themselves as LGBTQ by allowing them to come out on their own terms.
The California Family Council said the bill would prohibit parental notification policies that allow parents to receive crucial information about their children. the California Family Council also said the bill damages the trust and open communication necessary for a supportive educational environment.
The day after the Governor signed AB 1955, The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against Governor Newsom over the new law on behalf of the Chino Valley School District. The Liberty Justice Center was already defending the parental notification policies of both the Chino Valley School District and the Rocklin United School District.
Several school districts have conflicting or pending policies regarding AB 1955. Lakeside Union School District has implemented a parental notification policy for this school year in defiance of AB 1955. Cajon Valley School District also has a parental notification policy. This policy allows staff to refrain from notifying parents if there are concerns about the student being at risk of abuse, neglect, or other serious harm. Trustee Seth Stemen of the Marysville Joint Unified School District made a speech opposing AB 1955 and declared plans to create and implement a parental notification policy that contradicts the bill.
If the law is not overturned or suspended by a court ruling, it will take effect in January 2025.
On August 28th, 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education because of their parental notification policy, immediately preventing its enforcement.
According to the State of California Department of Justice, “The policy, adopted in July, requires schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun different from that on their birth certificate or official records, even without the student’s permission.” Bonta argued that the policy infringed upon the rights of students with regard to California’s Equal Protection Clause, California’s Education and Government Code, and California’s constitutional right to privacy.
On March 27, 2024, the Chino Valley District Board voted to update its policy, removing language that required staff to report student requests to use facilities or pronouns that do not align with the sex indicated in their student records, according to the organization providing the board’s legal representation, the Liberty Justice Center. The board retained the part of its policy that required school administrators to notify parents of any student requests to modify their official or unofficial records.
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