The Murrieta Valley Unified School District board mandates that parents be told if their child shows any indication of being transgender.
Credit: Mallika Seshadri / EdSource
The Murrieta Valley Unified School District board voted Thursday night to accept the policy passed by the Chino Valley Unified school board on July 20 “as is” — mandating that parents be told if their child shows any indication of being transgender.
Under the policy, parents and guardians will be notified in writing, within three days of learning, if their child asks to be identified with a gender or name different from what was assigned at birth and if their child uses a bathroom or participates in activities that do not align with the gender provided on their student record.
The board’s 3-2 vote came five hours into the meeting at about 10:30 p.m. and despite state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond asking them to “reconsider this misguided approach” and “protect and preserve the well-being” of their students.
Thurmond’s letter, which was released Thursday evening, reminded the board of what is at stake, that “nearly half of LGBTQ+ students in our state have considered suicide” and that a “policy such as the one proposed to be discussed could be harmful to these students.”
It specifically asked board President Paul Diffley, Superintendent Ward Andrus and the board to withdraw the agenda item.
“Unfortunately, many LGBTQ+ students are in situations where they could encounter harm or even abuse in their own homes if their sexual orientation or gender identity is disclosed before they are ready,” the letter reads.
Proponents of the district’s new policy argued that parents’ rights are critical to student well-being. One of the policy’s supporters also said during the meeting that “no heterosexual parent wants a homosexual child.”
Meanwhile, supporters of the LGBTQ+ community stressed that many young people do not feel comfortable confiding in their parents for fear of rejection. A teacher in the district noted that if a student opens up to school staff, that’s usually a “warning sign” about their home life.
Raquelle, a 12-year-old student in the district who was present at the meeting, said she’s had friends share openly with her. Some of them, she said, are scared of being physically harmed at home if they come out.
“No one has a right to come out for anyone,” Raquelle said. “Every human is a human. Everyone has rights. Don’t be the one to take it away.”
Diffley said a minority of parents might “explode” at hearing their child is transgender, but “this importance of a bond between student and family — mother and father — is paramount” and “supersedes anything else.”
He told parents, “You’re supposed to be in contact with teachers, and teachers are supposed to be in contact with you.”
Trustee Julie Vandegrift attempted a motion several times to adopt a resolution identical to Chino Valley’s and asked Chloe — one of the previous speakers from public comment — to speak to the board again as a “subject-matter expert” even though several people said it was against the rules of order.
Saying she used to identify as transgender but de-transitioned, Chloe said that while school staff can’t refer a child to medical resources without parental consent, “social transitioning is also harmful” and that it “takes away years of necessary social development as your biological sex.”
The board then voted to adopt the Chino Valley policy — which would put the school district directly at odds with the California Department of Education’s directive to protect the privacy of transgender students who may not be out at home.
Trustee Linda Lunn said the policy’s language was unclear and filled with inconsistencies. She also alleged that some board members are aiming to antagonize state officials through such a vote.
“This policy is not about LGBTQ issues. It is not about parent rights. It is not about students. It’s not about families. It’s not about education. It’s not about conservative values … .or progressive values,” Lunn said. “It’s about picking a fight with Sacramento with tax dollars.”
“This policy is straight out of the clown factory,” she added.
In California, Murrieta Valley Unified isn’t unique in its expansion of parental notification; a couple of states and regional efforts laid the groundwork.
Earlier this year, Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli from the Inland Empire sponsored an Assembly bill that would have required schools to notify parents if their child identifies with a different gender within three days of finding out.
That bill was denied in April at a committee meeting.
On July 20, Chino Valley Unified passed the resolution that Murrieta Valley Unified School District board now voted to adopt.
The union representing the Chino Valley Unified teachers filed a labor complaint Tuesday, alleging that the district failed to negotiate with the union over a policy that could limit teachers’ protected speech.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also wrote a letter to Chino Valley Unified Superintendent Norman Enfield and the board announcing a civil rights investigation of the district.
“Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,” Bonta said in an Aug. 4 news release. “Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse from peers and family members unaccepting of their gender identity.”
The release added, “California will not stand for violations of our students’ civil rights.”