As California lawmakers seek to limit the power of the state’s public schools, issues surrounding parental rights and privacy for transgender students are emerging.
Sacramento lawmakers have introduced a bill, AB 1955, to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would prohibit school districts from notifying parents if their child uses different pronouns or identifies with a different gender than what is listed on school records.
The bill is currently in the registration process, but Governor Newsom plans to sign it into law within 12 days of receiving it, Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
During an emotional hearing in the Democratic-led Assembly on June 27, Republican Rep. Bill Essarri vehemently opposed the bill. Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Wood, a Democrat, repeatedly scolded Essarri for going off topic and cut off his microphone multiple times.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom is shown signing the bill into law in the Governor’s Office. (Associated Press)
The bill passed by a vote of 60 to 15.
“California leads the nation in eroding parental rights,” Essari told Fox News Digital in a statement. “AB 1955 is dangerous and defies common sense in stripping parents of their constitutional and God-given right to raise their children.”
“It’s now up to Governor Gavin Newsom to decide whether to sign this policy and make the violation of parental rights one of the centerpieces of his presidential campaign ambitions,” he added.
With speculation lingering about a possible presidential run, Newsom appears intent on playing to a national audience after last year vetoing a bill that would have required courts to consider whether a parent acknowledges a child’s gender identity when deciding custody and visitation rights.
AB 1314, a bill Essari introduced last year, would have done the opposite of AB 1955 in that it would have required schools to notify parents of a change in a child’s gender identity. The proposal was not debated by the Education Committee.
Things nearly got out of hand during last week’s debate, when State Rep. Corey Jackson, a member of the LGBTQ community, was detained as he tried to approach Essari after speaking.
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California Assemblyman Bill Essari has spoken out against a bill that would require schools to withhold information from parents if a child’s gender identity changes. (California State Assembly)
Mr Jackson said young people have the right to make their own decisions when appropriate.
“What we’ve seen is that we’re ignoring that right that they have,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s the parents’ responsibility to build a relationship where the student feels comfortable confiding in them. We’re not an extension of their parenting.”
Before the vote, Rep. Chris Ward, the author of AB 1955, said the bill would strengthen families and allow people to have “the dignity to decide when to share some of the most private information about themselves.”
“When we have policies that require teachers to do things that they know are not in the best interest of their students, it causes trauma and harm, something every expert says is true,” he said.
Cawley said he is confident Governor Newsom will sign AB 1955, but accused Republicans of sowing “fear and hatred.”
“This is politically motivated,” he said. “This isn’t just parents suddenly saying this is a problem.”
California Assembly Republican Representative James Gallagher said the assumption that telling parents about their child’s gender identity puts students at risk is problematic.
“One of the concerns I’ve had since this bill first came into existence is that it almost feels like it creates a default that says, ‘school officials, teachers, counselors are always safe, but parents are not,'” he said last week. “I think both sides would probably agree that that’s not true.”
A parental rights supporter holds a sign during a Chino Valley Unified School District board meeting Thursday night, July 20, 2023, at Don Lugo High School in Chino. (Getty Images)
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The bill comes as school districts across California are enacting parent notification policies, many of which have been revised after the state filed a lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District seeking to halt implementation of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy.
In March, the district amended the policy to simply state that a child had requested a change to their student record.
