{"id":166135,"date":"2023-08-29T09:13:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=166135"},"modified":"2023-08-29T09:13:22","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T16:13:22","slug":"announces-lawsuit-challenging-chino-valley-unified-school-districts-parental-notification-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=166135","title":{"rendered":"Announces Lawsuit Challenging Chino Valley Unified School District\u2019s Parental Notification Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles, CA&#8230;California Attorney General Rob\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span> announced a lawsuit to\u00a0immediately\u00a0halt the enforcement of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education\u2019s (Board) mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. The policy, adopted in July, requires schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun different from that on their birth certificate or official records, even without the student\u2019s permission. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lNDt5Qf3sRc\" title=\"Attorney General Bonta Announces Action to Protect Students&#39; Civil Rights\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The policy also requires notification if a student requests to use facilities or participates in programs that don&#8217;t align with their sex on official records. In today\u2019s lawsuit, Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0challenges\u00a0the\u00a0policy, which\u00a0violates the California Constitution and state\u00a0laws\u00a0safeguarding civil rights, and\u00a0has already caused and is threatening to cause LGBTQ+\u00a0students\u00a0with further mental, emotional, psychological and potential physical\u00a0harm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity \u2013 regardless of their gender identity,\u201d\u00a0<b>said Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>.<\/b>\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re in court challenging Chino Valley Unified\u2019s forced outing policy for wrongfully and unconstitutionally discriminating against\u00a0and violating the privacy rights of\u00a0LGBTQ+ students. The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack\u00a0an accepting\u00a0environment in the classroom and at home. Our message to Chino Valley Unified and all school districts in California is loud and clear: We will never stop fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s lawsuit, Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0argues that the policy infringes on several state protections safeguarding students\u2019 civil and constitutional rights, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>California\u2019s Equal Protection Clause:<\/b>\u00a0The policy unlawfully discriminates and singles out students who request to identify with or use names or pronouns different from those on their birth certificates, or who access programs or facilities that, in the view of the Board, are not \u201caligned\u201d with the student\u2019s gender.<\/li>\n<li><b>California\u2019s Education and Government Code:<\/b>\u00a0Education is a fundamental right in California, and California Education Code Sections 200 and 220 and Government Code section 11135 also ensure equal rights and opportunities for every student and prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The policy violates these fundamental anti-discrimination protections.<\/li>\n<li><b>California\u2019s constitutional right to privacy:<\/b>\u00a0California\u2019s constitution expressly protects the right to \u201cprivacy,\u201d including both \u201cinformational privacy,\u201d and \u201cautonomy privacy,\u201d and the policy\u2019s mandate to out transgender and gender-nonconforming students against their wishes or without their consent violates that right.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that the Board\u2019s policy has already placed transgender and gender-nonconforming students in danger of imminent, irreparable harm from the consequences of forced disclosures.\u00a0These students are currently under threat of being outed to their parents against their will, and many fear that the District\u2019s policy will force them to make a choice: either \u201cwalk back\u201d their constitutionally and statutorily protected rights to gender identity and gender expression, or face the risk of emotional, physical, and psychological harm. The Board\u2019s policy thus unlawfully discriminates against transgender and gender nonbinary students, subjecting them to disparate treatment and harassment, including mental, emotional, and even physical abuse.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also asserts this the Board\u2019s plain motivations in adopting the policy were to create and harbor animosity, discrimination, and prejudice towards transgender and gender-nonconforming students, without any compelling reason to do so, as evidenced by statements made during the Board\u2019s hearing. In discussing the policy before its passage, board members made a number of statements describing students who are transgender or gender-nonconforming as suffering from a \u201cmental illness\u201d or \u201cperversion\u201d, or as being a threat to the integrity of the nation and the family. The\u00a0Board President\u00a0went so far as to state that transgender and gender nonbinary individuals needed \u201cnon-affirming\u201d parental actions so that they could \u201cget better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0has a substantial interest in protecting the legal rights, physical safety, and mental health of children in California schools, and in protecting them from trauma, harassment, bullying, and exposure to violence and threats of violence. Research shows that protecting a transgender student\u2019s ability to make choices about how and when to inform others is critical to their well-being, as transgender students are exposed to high levels of harassment and mistreatment at school and in their communities.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 10% of respondents said that an immediate family member had been violent toward them because they were transgender, and 15%\u00a0ran away from home or were kicked out of their home because they were transgender. And fewer than one-in-three transgender and gender nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming.<\/li>\n<li>Seventy-seven percent of students known or perceived as transgender reported negative experiences such as harassment and assault, and over half of transgender and nonbinary youth reported seriously considering suicide in the past year.<\/li>\n<li>Nearly 46%\u00a0of transgender students reported missing at least one day of school in the preceding month because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable there and 17% of transgender students reported that they left a K-12 school due to the severity of the harassment they experienced at school.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0is committed to defending the rights and safety of our LGBTQ+ youth.\u00a0Prior to filing a lawsuit, Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-launches-civil-rights-investigation-chino-valley-unified\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-launches-civil-rights-investigation-chino-valley-unified&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ML2ef_GWhxTUCjTV8cNd7\">announced opening a civil rights investigation<\/a>\u00a0into the legality of Chino Valley Unified School District\u2019s adoption of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. Prior to\u00a0opening the\u00a0investigation, Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0in July\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/attachments\/press-docs\/7.20.23_Item%20II.A.1%20on%20July%2020%2C%202023%20Agenda%20--%20%E2%80%9CNew%20Board%20Policy%205020.1%20%E2%80%93%20Parental%20Notification%E2%80%9Ddocx%20%282%29.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/attachments\/press-docs\/7.20.23_Item%2520II.A.1%2520on%2520July%252020%252C%25202023%2520Agenda%2520--%2520%25E2%2580%259CNew%2520Board%2520Policy%25205020.1%2520%25E2%2580%2593%2520Parental%2520Notification%25E2%2580%259Ddocx%2520%25282%2529.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3kML4NEn2A62HtuMmtXI-Q\">sent a letter<\/a>\u00a0to Superintendent Norman Enfield and the Board of Education cautioning them of the dangers of adopting its forced outing policy, emphasizing the potential infringements on students&#8217; privacy rights and educational opportunities.\u00a0Just days ago, Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Bonta<\/span>\u00a0issued a statement following\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-denounces-anderson-union-high-school-district%E2%80%99s-forced\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-denounces-anderson-union-high-school-district%25E2%2580%2599s-forced&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2p5rON7PN6G486PJq_h-pX\">Anderson Union High School District<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-temecula-valley-unified-school-district%E2%80%99s-forced-outing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-temecula-valley-unified-school-district%25E2%2580%2599s-forced-outing&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0C0Tc4YQOMtJzn3pHMm_cw\">Temecula<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-denounces-murrieta-valley-school-board%E2%80%99s-forced-outing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-denounces-murrieta-valley-school-board%25E2%2580%2599s-forced-outing&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34x3wAuLMun53FvOLCSx9B\">Murrieta<\/a>\u00a0<wbr \/>Valley Unified School District Boards\u2019\u00a0decisions\u00a0to implement\u00a0copy-cat\u00a0mandatory gender identity disclosure policy targeting transgender and gender nonconforming students.<\/p>\n<p>A copy of the lawsuit is available\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/attachments\/press-docs\/082723.Complaint.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/attachments\/press-docs\/082723.Complaint.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693356865202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0hWNeinuoPczRE9hTOotx0\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<td colspan=\"2\" align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"560\"># # #<\/td>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles, CA&#8230;California Attorney General Rob\u00a0Bonta announced a lawsuit to\u00a0immediately\u00a0halt the enforcement of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education\u2019s (Board) mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. The policy, adopted in July, requires schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun different from that on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,20,5,16,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-featured","category-government","category-law-enforcement","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Fullscreen-capture-8292023-90707-AM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166137,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166135\/revisions\/166137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/166136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}