California is the First State to Get Rid of School Rules That Say Parents Have to Be Told When Their Child Changes Their Pronouns

Sacramento, California — On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that is the first of its kind in the country. It stops school districts from making rules that require schools to tell parents if their child wants to change their gender identity.

The law doesn’t allow school staff to tell anyone else about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity without the child’s approval. Supporters of the bill say it will help protect LGBTQ+ kids who live in homes that don’t accept them. But people who are against it say it will make it harder for schools to be open with parents.

There is a bigger debate going on about local school districts and the rights of parents and LGBTQ+ kids at the same time as the law.

In a statement, Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, who wrote the law, said, “Politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender, nonbinary, and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise across the country, including in California.” “Some school districts have policies that make it illegal for students to hide their gender, but the SAFETY Act makes sure that family conversations about gender identity stay private.”

Several school districts in California have already passed rules that say parents must be told if their child wants to change their gender identity. This new law comes after those rules. Democrats in the state said no to that because they say kids have the right to privacy.

But Jonathan Zachreson, a Californian advocate for so-called parental notification policies, is against the law. He said that telling parents when a student wants to change their gender identity is “critical to the well-being of children and for maintaining that trust between schools and parents.”

States all over the country have tried to ban gender-affirming care, keep transgender players out of girls and women’s sports, and make schools tell parents about transgender and nonbinary students. A few politicians in other states have put forward bills that would require parents to be told about any changes in their child’s mental health or well-being.

AN ANNOUNCEMENT

The California law caused a lot of disagreement in the state government. Lawmakers who are LGBTQ+ have talked about how hard it was for them to choose when to tell their families they were gay or lesbian. They say that transgender kids should be able to share that part of their identity on their own terms. Bill Essayli, a Republican who serves in the State Assembly and represents part of Riverside County, is a vocal opponent of the law. He has said that Democratic leaders should be blamed for not giving a hearing to a bill he offered last year that would have required parents to be told when their child changed their gender identity.

A policy for letting parents know about school events was passed by the Anderson Union High School District board in Northern California last year. Shaye Stephens, an English teacher and president of the teachers association at the district, said that the teachers’ union told teachers not to police the rule because the union and the district are in a labor dispute over it.

Stephens said that the rules about notifications are unfair to teachers.

“Teachers, administrators, and anyone else who is asked to do this are kind of set to lose. “I don’t think the kids are safe there,” she said. “I guess we’re not the right people to talk to a parent or guardian about those things.”