Should schools notify parents if their child wants to identify as transgender or non-binary?
The question—which has recently been the subject of heated debate nationwide—is now being discussed by the Chino Valley Unified School Board in San Bernardino County, California.
The board is currently considering a proposal—introduced on June 15 by Board President Sonja Shaw—that would require school staff to notify parents if their child expresses a desire to identify as transgender or non-binary. It’s set to vote on the issue in July.
Shaw said, during a June 15 press conference, she introduced the policy because she believes parents should be informed of all aspects of their child’s education.
“I’m trying to give parents a voice and an opportunity to make sure that they’re part of their child’s education and anything else that schools want to exit [parents] out of,” Shaw said.
In April, the board supported Assemblyman Bill Essayli’s (R-Riverside) Assembly Bill 1314, which would require school staff to notify parents within three days if their child identifies as transgender or non-binary.
The same month, the bill failed after Assembly Education Committee chairman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) refused to consider it.
When that bill failed, Shaw said she decided to act.
Essayli, along with several parent rights advocacy groups, showed support for the Chino Valley board’s policy in the same press conference.
“I believe the policies we’re proposing are common sense, and they’re supported by the overwhelming majority of the public and parents,” Essayli said.
The assemblyman said the purpose of the proposed policies is not to “out” anyone.
“That narrative is completely false,” he said. “All the policy says is that if the school is going to actively participate in the transitioning of your child, by changing their name, their pronouns, and the facilities they use, that the parent has the right to know what’s happening with their kids.”
Karen England, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Capitol Resource Institute, which promotes traditional family values by fighting what it calls “indoctrination” in public schools, also noted at the press conference the state’s guidance is not official policy.
“There is nothing in current law that says this policy is illegal,” England said. “The California Department of Education refers to it as guidance ... there is nowhere where they are citing a specific law.”
Board Votes to Keep Pride Flags Out of Classroom
Also at the June 15 board meeting, the Chino Valley School Board voted 4–1 to block the LGBT pride flag from being displayed in classrooms, with board member Donald Bridge dissenting.Shaw said teachers shouldn’t have to fly a flag in order for students to feel safe.
“Teachers’ classrooms [should be safe] whether they fly [a flag] or not for any child,” she said.
Gesturing to the American flag, she continued, “This is why we’re here. This flag unites us all. it stands for all of us ... the United States stands for all of us. A teacher who has to display sexuality in their classroom is a problem for me as a parent and board member.”
The board meeting drew nearly 300 parents, teachers, and community members.
Some who spoke during public comment thanked the board for standing up for parents and students.
“A parent knows their child best and should be notified immediately of any issues so they can seek the help and support that they believe is best for their children,” one parent said. “Just as health care is not one-size-fits-all, neither is gender support. Only the parent truly cares enough to navigate such a time with their child and seek out personalized care that suits them best.”
Others said they’re concerned that the proposed policy would make LGBT students “unsafe.”
“This policy will be detrimental to the safety of students ... teachers, administrators, and staff have no way of knowing what a student’s home life is like, or how their families will respond to information regarding a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation,” said one parent.
