A bill introduced this month by California lawmakers would prohibit school districts from forcing teachers to notify parents if children ask to use different pronouns, names, bathrooms or locker rooms at school.
The bill, AB 1955, was introduced May 22 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward, D-San Diego, and is backed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. It would make California the first state to ban schools from requiring teachers to notify parents about their children’s gender identity. Six states have passed legislation requiring schools to do so, and five others have promoted the practice.
In California, several school boards have passed such policies, contending that parents have the right to know if their children are identifying as transgender. The state and advocates for LGBTQ students say the policies are discriminatory and violate civil rights and privacy laws protecting transgender students. They also say such policies put some students at risk, since not all families are supportive.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified last year, alleging that its policy was discriminatory and violated civil rights and privacy laws protecting transgender students. A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the state in a preliminary hearing, which in turn prompted Chino Valley to revise its policy. When a teachers union in Temecula Valley Unified also filed a lawsuit against a similar policy in that district, a Riverside County Superior Court judge allowed the policy to stand for now.