California Bill To Prevent Schools From Telling Parents if Their Kids Identify As LGBT

However, critics say the bill if passed would allow schools to keep parents in the dark about their children’s issues, and say it would allow the school to undermine an open dialogue about the subject between parents and children.

The California LGBTQ Caucus asserts the bill will “strengthen existing California protections against forced outings of LGBTQ+ students in schools; provide critical resources for parents and families ofLGBTQ+ students to support them in working towards family acceptance on their own terms; and provide additional protections to educators who face retaliatory actions from administrators and school boards for seeking to create an inclusive and safe school environment.”

“Since July 2023, multiple school boards in California have voted to pass “forced outing” policies requiring teachers to notify parents, if their child identifies as transgender. These policies also require schools to notify parents if their child changes their name or pronouns, or requests access to a gender-based restroom, changing room, or sport that corresponds with their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth,” said the LGBTQ Caucus.

“No matter how much Democrats dislike it, the fact is parents have a right to be involved in their kids’ education,” said California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher to Fox News Digital. “It’s unbelievable that anyone would think that teachers can keep secrets from parents, but it’s flat-out disgusting that Democrats are trying to mandate that schools keep parents in the dark.”

In the letter they called the legislation unconstitutional and said that it would be a violation of parental rights that would lead to a “trifecta of harms.”

“Parents have a right to know what their own minor children are doing at school—and school officials have no right to keep secrets from parents. That’s true now, and it will still be true if the state passes this bill. We will continue to stand with parents and the school districts that want to respect their rights—and we’ll continue to represent them free of charge, at no cost to taxpayers,” said Liberty Justice Center President Jacob Huebert.

“In fact, as a parent myself, I believe parents should have an open dialogue with their children, and these conversations should be happening at home,” said Ward.

“A 2020 study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and non-binary youth were 2 to 2.5 times as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender LGBTQ+ peers,” said the LGBT Caucus.

“Parental involvement in their children’s lives is desirable and often necessary, however, a student’s gender identity is generally a matter to be discussed between the child and their parents in the time and manner chosen by the family,” the LGBTQ Caucus said. “No teacher, administrator, or others outside of the family should be forcing families to have conversations.”

“There are so many problems with this bill that a simple opposition letter cannot cover every one of them. It’s hard for skeptics to see this gut-and-amend as anything but an effort to hide those problems from public scrutiny, let alone adequate constitutional review,” said the California Policy Center (CPC) Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs.

“Here’s the bottom line: Public schools are meant to support parents in their efforts to educate their children, not to subvert parents as this bill would codify,” said the CPC Vice President.

If it reaches approval then it will head the state assembly for a vote. After passing through the legislature the last step required will be a signature by California Governor Gavin Newsom before it becomes law.