Attorney General Rob Bonta of California called out another school district Thursday for adopting a policy that requires schools to inform parents if their child wishes to change their pronouns, according to a press release.
The Rocklin Unified School District Board voted 4-1 Wednesday to approve the policy after hours of debate and a letter from Bonta criticizing the proposed policy as an invasion of privacy, according to The Sacramento Bee. Following the board’s decision, Bonta accused the district of trying to “endanger their civil rights” by targeting “transgender and gender non-conforming youth,” according to the press release. (RELATED: Judge Temporarily Halts School District From Requiring That Educators Inform Parents When Their Child Changes Pronouns)
“Despite our ongoing commitment to stand against any actions that target and discriminate against California’s transgender and gender-nonconforming youth, Rocklin Unified has chosen to endanger their civil rights by adopting a policy that forcibly outs them without consideration of their safety and well-being,” Bonta said. “I have said it before and I will say it again: We will not tolerate any policy that perpetuates discrimination, harassment, or exclusion within our educational institutions.”
I have said it before and I will say it again: We will not tolerate any policy that perpetuates discrimination, harassment, or exclusion within our educational institutions. https://t.co/rJS59ukFvO
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) September 7, 2023
A spokesperson for RSD told the Daily Caller News Foundation that it is “aware” of Bonta’s remarks.
“The Board’s actions were taken after extensive consultation with the District’s legal counsel and are legally defensible based on current law,” the spokesperson said. “The school district is currently formalizing implementation and training plans regarding the revision.”
The policy also requires teachers to inform parents if a student asks to change their name or suggests that they are questioning their gender identity, according to The Sacramento Bee. Educators must also inform parents if a student wishes to use bathrooms and locker rooms or participate in school activities that do not match their biological sex.
RSD is not the first district to come under criticism from the attorney general. Bonta filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) in August for adopting a similar policy that Bonta called a “forced outing policy” that “wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home.”
A judge recently ruled that CVUSD would not be allowed to enforce the policy while the lawsuit made its way through court. The judge’s ruling came despite reports that he had not read the district’s legal arguments in support of the policy in their entirety.
Bonta did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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