An initiative drafted by California’s Republican senate would mandate that schools disclose to parents whether or not their child identifies as transgender or “non-binary.” This action was taken because a teacher at a state high school had been disciplined for violating a state anti-discrimination provision that bars any kind of contact between students of different races.
In the Assembly, Republicans Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) and James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) presented AB-1314 last week. This measure is often commonly referred to as the “Gender identity: parental notice” bill. If a student identifies with a gender other than what is on their birth certificate or in school records, district authorities would have three days to notify the parents in writing.
Essayli was quoted as saying, “Parents play a significant part in raising and helping children, and they can’t be left out of the equation,” at a news conference on Monday, via the Los Angeles Times.
In an interview with ABC7, Essayli was quoted as saying, “Keeping knowledge from parents is not only wrong, but it is harmful and detrimental to the emotional and physical safety of trans children.”
Former teachers Essayli and Jessica Tapia gathered the media in front of Jurupa Valley High School for the press conference. Tapia lost her job because she refused to comply with a state regulation that forbids instructors from discussing their kids’ gender identities unless they provide explicit consent.
How much lying do you want me to do? To which the response was an enthusiastic “Yeah.” It complies with the law and protects the student’s privacy. At least, according to Tapia. The school’s expectations that we behave like parents make no sense to me.
According to the California Department of Education, transgender students’ right to privacy may be violated if they are forced to disclose their identity to their parents.
Tapia emphasized the “minors” in the situation. In terms of mental health, they are still making progress. Because their brain’s decision-making center isn’t completely developed, children still rely heavily on their parents.
What she meant by “everything they’re going through” was not just mental and emotional issues, but also physical and spiritual ones.
Tapia claims she was fired without cause and wants to sue the school district.
According to ABC7, a representative for the Jurupa Unified School District stated that “the U.S. and California Constitutions allow all students and workers the right to privacy.”
According to the paper, District officials are barred from disclosing residents’ private information even if they chose to do so themselves. State and federal statutes that safeguard student privacy and compel the District to offer a learning environment free of discrimination informed the District’s determination concerning Ms. Tapia.
Assemblymember Essayli said that the new law will help teachers and parents get along again by making it crystal apparent that children belong to their families and not the state.
The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus issued a statement calling the new bill a “potentially life-threatening risk, subjecting them to trauma and violence” towards transgender and nonbinary children. The Los Angeles Times reported this.
The declaration asserts that educators should not be compelled to reveal students’ gender identities to anybody who does not explicitly request such information.
The involvement of parents is crucial, according to Peggy Bigby Lamberth of California.
“Parents should be involved in all the decisions their kids make,” Lamberth told ABC7. “Today’s youth are bombarded by contradictory signals from the media and their peers,” the author writes.
Earlier this year in January, the Center for American Liberty filed a lawsuit against the superintendent and board of the Chico Unified School District in California, alleging that they assisted a girl in transitioning to a boy “behind her mother’s back.”