OAN Staff James Meyers
8:20 AM – Tuesday, July 16, 2024
California has made history as the first state to prohibit school districts from mandating that staff inform parents if a student requests to change their gender identification, following a new law signed on Monday by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The law bans school rules requiring teachers and other staff members to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child’s permission.
Supporters of the new law claim that it will help protect LGBTQ+ students who do not want to discuss with their parents or guardians.
However, critics of the law claim it will hinder schools’ ability to be more transparent with parents.
“This law helps keep children safe while protecting the critical role of parents,” Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom (D-Calif.), said in a statement. “It protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when, and how families have deeply personal conversations.”
The new law comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents must be notified if a child asks to change their gender identification. That led to pushback by Democrat state officials, who say students have a right to privacy.
However, Jonathan Zachreson, an advocate in California who opposes the law, said telling parents about a student’s request to change their gender identification is “critical to the well-being of children and for maintaining that trust between schools and parents.”
Meanwhile, a ballot measure that would have required schools in the Golden State to adopt parental notification policies failed to gain enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
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