Chino Valley schools must hold off on enforcing their dangerous new anti-trans policy, according to a court order.
Chino Valley Unified School District, in California’s Inland Empire, is both urban and rural, encompassing 35 schools and learning centers, with over
The school district is seeking to impose a policy that would require teachers to formally notify parens if a student indicate they identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming. Presented as a parents-first type of policy, it’s one that keeps popping up in right-wing states. This one was pushed on the distric by a new class of right-leaning trustees, elected in the revolt against masks and school closures during the pandemic. The trustees openly called transgender students ‘mentally ill’ and ‘delusional.’
Opponents rushed to intervene against the policy, to protect vulnerable students. Trans youth in unaccepting households are not safe to be outed. It exposes them to physical and mental abuse, and increases their likelihood of homelessness or suicide.
The case was brought to a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge, Justice Thomas Garza, by the state of California, seeking a restraining order. They contend that the policy violates state civil rights and privacy laws for the students.
“I refuse to stand by and allow Chino Valley Schools or any district board of education to put our children at risk or infringe upon their rights, especially not one of our most vulnerable at-risk groups,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta said in announcing the lawsuit. “Across the country and in our own backyard, the LGBTQ+ community is under attack, and transgender and gender-nonconforming students are on the front lines.”
Supporters of the policy defend it by saying that parents cannot support transgender students if they don’t know, and that the school cannot identify abusive parents if they don’t out their children to them.
