School Transgender Policy Triggers CA Civil Rights Investigation

CHINO, CA — California’s attorney general is investigating the Chino Valley Unified School District after its board adopted a policy requiring educators to tell parents if a student asks to use a name or pronoun that differs from official records.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the civil rights probe Friday after the Board of Education adopted the policy in July.

“Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,” he said in a news release. “Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse from peers and family members unaccepting of their gender identity.”

In addition to rules for names and pronouns, the district policy also requires that educators tell parents if a student seeks to access programs or facilities that deviate from the child's gender as stated in official records or if a student asks to change information on school documents, according to Bonta.

Such requirements may violate the state’s anti-discrimination law, Bonta said in a July 20 letter to district officials. The California Department of Education recommends schools consult with students to determine who can be informed of transgender status and, in most cases, instructs districts to respect disclosure limitations put in place by students, according to the letter.

The policy in Chino passed after a raucous and crowded hearing, from which state Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond was ejected, The Associated Press reported.

“This is a ploy to try to scare all the other boards across California from adopting the policy,” Sonjia Shaw told the outlet. “I won’t back down and will stand in the gap to protect our kids from big government bullies.”

The board feels parents deserve to know the status of the child’s gender identity, according to The Associated Press, which reported the policy is similar to failed legislation introduced this year seeking to require districts statewide to notify parents about gender-related changes.