This week, a San Bernardino County Superior judge ruled that the Chino Valley Unified School District cannot enforce a new policy that keeps parents in the loop about their child’s gender identity.
Judge Thomas Garza granted Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration’s request to temporarily block the policy from taking effect, according to the Los Angeles Times:
Judge Thomas Garza granted the state’s request for a temporary restraining order. A hearing is scheduled Oct. 13 to continue litigating whether Chino Valley’s policy violates state civil rights and privacy laws when it comes to students and gender identity.
Garza said Wednesday’s hearing marked “Round One” in a case pitting parental rights against student privacy rights, a legal dispute that he said is likely to land in higher courts for review and to require legislative guidance. Still, he found Chino Valley’s policy “too broad, too general” and without a “clear purpose or reference of parental support and involvement.”
“There will be parents who won’t take kindly to these discussions,” Garza said.
The judge also took issue with the Chino Valley school board, noting that trustees at their July 12 meeting used terms such as “delusion” and “mental illness” when discussing gender identity.
Townhall previously reported how California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against a school district, claiming that Chino Valley’s policy “wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of nonconforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home.” He added that the lawsuit serves as a “message” that “we will never stop fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.”
For far too many transgender and gender nonconforming youth, school serves as their only safe haven.
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) August 28, 2023
We have to protect that. We have to ensure our schools are sanctuaries for every single student. pic.twitter.com/rZTHzombHC
Chino Valley moved forward with the policy in July, prompting other nearby districts to do the same.
California Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Corona) told the Times that the judge’s ruling would be appealed.
“We’ve said from the beginning this is a fight we want to have, and we intend to take it to the Supreme Court,” Essayli told the outlet.
Sonja Shaw, president of Chino Valley’s school board, told the Times that the board “spent months assembling a thoughtful policy that allows parents to be involved in the upbringing in their child’s life.”
“The policy does not stop any lifestyle changes,” she said in a text message to the Times. “It simply says the parents have a right to know what is going on at school and not be the last person informed.”
This week, Townhall reported how a California school district paid $100,000 to settle a lawsuit after a mother, Jessica Konen, claimed that district supported her child’s gender transition and kept it a secret from her.
Konen’s lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, the founder of the Center for American Liberty, called it a “triumph.”
"Konen’s triumph strongly underscores the principle that parents, not schools, have a natural right to shape their child’s upbringing,” Dhillon said.
"This settlement sends a loud message to all school districts: attempting to secretly transition a child without parental notification or consent will lead to substantial repercussions," she added.
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