Chino Valley School Board considering proposal requiring parents be told if child is transgender

CHINO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A battle is being waged in Chino Valley between a student's desire for privacy and a parent's right to know.

A proposal being considered by the Chino Valley Unified School District is at the center of that issue dubbed as "parental notification." It would require teachers to let parents know if their child wants to identify or be treated as a gender other than their biological sex.

"This policy does not say that a child cannot adopt a new gender identity. It simply says that parents should know," said Gina Gleason with Real Impact.

More than a dozen parental rights advocates joined with CVUSD President Sonja Shaw as she prepared to bring the proposal forward.

"We want the input of the public, there is a reason that we did this. I am not trying to be divisive. I didn't bring it as a vote, even though as a parent and a board member, that our board majority does support parents and parental rights," said Shaw.

The proposal is borrowed from legislation that was brought by Assemblyman Bill Essayli earlier this year but ultimately did not make it out of committee.

"Parents have a right to know what is happening with their kids. It is unfortunate that we even need to introduce these policies. We have to do it because the state is giving out false guidelines to school districts telling them that this is the law when it is not," said Assemblyman Essayli.

But LGBTQ+ groups are raising the alarm, saying the proposal would harm students and break their trust with school authorities.

"What this does to students including this recent policy of basically forcing teachers and school staff to out students to their family. It creates hostility. It creates an increase of anxiety, and an increase of depression and an increase of potential suicide," said Jorge Reye Salinas with Equality California.

While not a law, the Department of Education offers guidance advising teachers not to out transgender students to their parents.

"Students deserve a right to have privacy. Students have the right to keep their information private, and not to have that informant revealed without their consent," said Salinas.

CVUSD will hold a first reading of the proposal at a school board meeting on Thursday. It will be followed with a vote in July.

"If this continues, we would expect a legal battle over this," said Salinas.