CA School District Approves Plan To Notify Parents Of Pronoun Changes

CHINO, CA — The Chino Valley Unified School District approved a controversial policy Thursday, requiring schools to inform a student's parents if they begin using pronouns not listed on their birth certificate, ask to use facilities "that do not align with the gender stated in those records," or requests to change anything in their school records.

The 4-1 vote came despite pushback that the policy effectively outs transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming children without their consent, and a strongly-worded letter from state Attorney General Rob Bonta urging the district to prioritize student privacy.

"The protection of every student's privacy ad safety is of utmost importance, and that includes protecting their right to choose when, how, and with whom they share their gender identity," Bonta said in a statement Thursday. "By allowing for the disclosure of a student's gender identity without their consent, Chino Valley Unified School District's suggested Parental Notification policy would strip them of their freedom, violate their autonomy, and potentially put them in a harmful situation."

In the letter, Bonta argued that the mandate "demonstrates a reckless disregard" for the dangers a child could face at home and warned that the district could be found liable if a student is harmed as the result of a notification.

According to KTVU, things got heated during Thursday's meeting, including heckling and the eventual ejection of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Thurmond addressed his departure from the meeting on Twitter later in the evening.

"Tonight I went to a school board meeting to stand up for LGBTQ+ students who invited me to join them as they spoke out against a radical new policy that threatens their safety," Thurmond wrote in part. "When done speaking, the board president verbally attacked me [and] instructed the police to remove me."

As The Press-Enterprise reports, CVUSD President Sonja Shaw said Thurmond was cut off for speaking longer than the one minute allotted. According to The Hill, Thurmond plans to challenge the board's rule at the state and federal level.