Education

Judge Temporarily Halts School District From Requiring That Educators Inform Parents When Their Child Changes Pronouns

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Kate Anderson Contributor
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A judge issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday against a California school district policy requiring schools to inform parents about their child’s preferred pronouns, according to state Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Bonta filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) in August after the district’s board passed a rule in July that required educators to inform parents if their child decided to change pronouns or their name. The judge ruled in a preliminary hearing that the policy would not be enforced while the lawsuit went through the courts, according to a statement from Bonta. (RELATED: ‘Democrats Agree’: Activists Are Teaming Up To Fight Sex Change Surgeries For Minors In This Blue State)

Bonta announced the news on his Twitter account, saying that the policy was “illegal and dangerous.” “We’ve secured a temporary restraining order against Chino Valley Unified School District’s illegal and dangerous forced outing policy,” Bonta wrote.

The judge presiding over the hearing reportedly stated during the proceeding that he had not read the district argument in its entirety, according to RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree. Despite this, the judge argued that some of the parents were a “clear and present danger,” and that the real issue at hand is how do we “safeguard students identifying as LGBTQ+?”

“I don’t know what the purpose of this policy is… [how] does this policy advance the educational pursuits of the students,” the judge reportedly asked, with the school district’s attorney replying that the state is “asking you to legislate from the bench,” according to Crabtree.
The board has maintained that the policy is important to protect the rights of parents as well as students, and CVUSD Board President Sonja Shaw said that she found Bonta’s lawsuit to be a “joke.”

“We again had to learn firsthand from reporters of their lawsuit,” Shaw said in a statement. “Bonta can’t even cite a law we are breaking in the documents and I find it a joke. He knows better and this is another ploy to stop all the districts around California from adopting a commonsense legal policy. We will stand our ground and protect our children with all we can because we are not breaking the law. Parents have a constitutional right in the upbringing of their children. Period. Bring it.”

Policies on pronouns in schools have been a contentious issue in several districts throughout the country. In Arizona, a Catalina Foothills High School teacher handed out a ‘get to know you’ form asking about pronouns and whether or not the teacher had permission to use them in front of parents. Another district in Texas, approved a policy on Aug. 28 requiring that educators inform parents if their student intends on transitioning to a different gender.

CVUSD did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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