More Californian school boards are defying the state’s opposition to informing parents about their child’s gender-related issues. Five of them have voted to make it mandatory for teachers to notify parents if their child socially transitions at school.
The boards believe the best way to address such issues is with “open communication and clear expectations.” They reinforced a commitment to include parents in all school activities and decisions related to their child. The Daily Signal reports parents welcomed the move.
But the battle is set to be played out in US courts. Californian Attorney General Rob Bonta has won a temporary restraining order against the Chino Valley Unified School District which was the first board to adopt such a policy.
Mr. Bonta argued: “Every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity – regardless of their gender identity. The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home.”
He ignored the vicious attacks on the president of the Chino Valley board. Sonja Shaw received multiple death threats against herself, her family and her pets by phone and email. The extreme left-wing group Antifa which she labels a ‘terrorist organisation’ posted her address online. “No justice, no peace, we know where you sleep” one threat read next to a photo of her home. She said even making normal trips to the grocery store had become difficult. Other members of the board have also received menacing messages.
Ms. Shaw says the rancour and ugliness of the reaction to the board’s policy “proves who’s after the children. Because to inform the parents and for them to go that wild should prove that those are the same people that want control of the kids.” The California Family Council vowed to maintain the campaign to affirm parents’ God-given and legal right to direct the upbringing of their children.
The fight for parental rights is simmering across the United States. The New Jersey government has filed a complaint against three schools to shield parents from knowing what gender their children have chosen while at school.“ Like his Californian counterpart, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said: “We will not tolerate any action by schools that threatens the health and safety of our young people. Without question, the discriminatory policies passed by these Boards of Education will harm our kids and pose severe risk to their safety,”
In Michigan and Pennsylvania, policies on parental notification are left up to the individual school districts to determine. Other states have introduced bills to require districts to disclose a student’s gender identity to parents.
“It’s disgusting that we now have union-controlled politicians fighting to keep secrets from other people’s children,” said Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children. He told The Center Square: “These radicals believe children are the property of the State, and many of them won’t reverse course any time soon because it’s part of their deeply held socialist views. The far left has infiltrated the government school system and they are using it for ideological indoctrination as opposed to education. These extremists see the school system as a means of raising other people’s children with their own worldview, and they won’t stop without accountability.”
