Topline:
A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that Chino Valley Unified School District temporarily can’t enforce its new policy that requires staff to alert parents when their student’s gender is different from what they were assigned at birth.
What the policy does: It requires schools to notify parents within three days of becoming aware that a student is transgender or nonbinary. The policy looks at a student’s specific actions to determine this, such as changing pronouns and names, and using bathrooms for a different gender. The district’s board adopted the policy on July 20.
About the lawsuit: Attorney General Rob Bonta started the lawsuit in late August, calling it a “forced outing policy” that violates the California Constitution and other state laws. The parties will be back in court on Oct. 13.
On the ruling: Bonta argues the policy puts transgender and gender-nonconforming students at risk of harm, which is why his office sought a restraining order. They’re aiming to hold it off while they argue against a preliminary injunction for the district. (That would allow the district to continue with it during the case.) Bonta says the temporary ruling upholds California’s rights for LGBTQ+ students.
In a statement, Chino Valley Unified says staff respects the ruling, adding that the district will “continue to encourage parents, guardians, and all community partners to remain united in assisting and supporting our youth.”