But Chino Valley Unified School District Board President Sonja Shaw said she believes staff members will continue to make parental notifications if necessary, in line with an amended district policy that removes any mention of gender.
The new policy instead states that parents should be notified whenever any child requests changes to official or "unofficial records."
"We just want to tell parents what's happening with their child," Shaw said.
Shaw also defended the district's position on parental notification.
"They should be notified right away. That's we're fighting this good fight and another decision in a kangaroo court with a dishonorable judge isn't going to stop us," she said.
The policy was originally adopted in the summer of 2023. Months later, a Superior Court judge issued an injunction, saying the policy appeared unconstitutional because it targeted a specific group of students.
"This policy is discriminatory on its face," Judge Michael Sachs said in September 2023.
In response, the district amended their policy in 2024, removing any references to gender.
"We want to be able to tell parents when something happens to their minor child at school," said Emily Rae, an attorney with the California Justice Center.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently weighed in on the broader issue. Although not a final order, the court ruled that parents have a right to be informed.
However, the state's Deputy Attorney General Delbert Tran argued that the Chino Valley Unified School District's policy goes beyond what was addressed by the Supreme Court.
"A policy that focuses simply on a student's request to use different pronouns, or a different name, goes beyond the scope of what the Supreme Court recognized in (the case) Mirabelli versus Bonta," Tran said.
In Tuesday's ruling, Sachs said that while requiring school staff to notify parents about transgender-related issues could be unconstitutional, parents retain the constitutional right to contact the district and ask about their children.
"In the event a parent makes an affirmative inquiry of a minor child regarding their status, whether transgender or not, that will trigger an obligation by the school district to respond," Sachs said.
Shaw questioned why parents would have to initiate those inquiries.
"That causes confusion. Why should a parent have to ask? Am I being lied to? That's why we're here in court today because parents have an absolute right to know," she said.