Just nine days after California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his intention to halt what he described as a “forced outing policy” approved by a Southern California school board, his office scored a legal victory in blocking the regulation.
The state secured a temporary restraining order in San Bernardino Superior Court on Wednesday that nullifies the requirement that Chino Valley Unified School District staffers notify parents if a student is transgender or gender-nonconforming, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We’ve secured a temporary restraining order against Chino Valley Unified School District’s illegal and dangerous forced outing policy,” Bonta announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bonta later added in a statement that “a temporary restraining order rightfully upholds the state rights of our LGBTQ+ student community and protects kids from harm by immediately halting the board’s forced outing policy.”
“While this fight is far from over, today’s ruling takes a significant step towards ensuring the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of transgender and gender-nonconforming students,” he said. “As we continue challenging the policy in court, my office will continue providing our unwavering support to ensure every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity.”
The issue will be discussed again at a hearing on Oct. 13.
The policy was approved in July with a 4-1 vote, despite a decidedly mixed response from those in attendance at the meeting.
Supporters of the policy, including CVUSD Board President Sonja Shaw, claim it protects parental rights.
“We’re going to safeguard parental rights,” Shaw said. “That is a constitutional right and we’re going to make sure that our parents at Chino Valley know they’re sending their kids here to be taught, not to be anything else.”
Opponents, however, claim it puts children at risk. Bonta previoulsy said such a requirement “wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home.”
“Every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity – regardless of their gender identity,” Bonta said in a statement. “We’re in court challenging Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy for wrongfully and unconstitutionally discriminating against and violating the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ students.”
