California lawmakers are introducing a new bill that would ban school districts from notifying parents if their child identifies as LGBTQ.
The new bill would be added to Assembly Bill 1955, introduced earlier this year by San Diego Democratic Rep. Chris Ward, through a process known as “eradication and amendment.”
The amended bill, called “Supporting the Academic Futures and Educators of Today’s Youth,” or the “SAFETY ACT,” would prohibit school districts from what Ward called “coercive outing policies.”
In other words, when a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation came up in conversation at school, educators were unable to inform parents.
Rep. Christopher Ward, on the far right, has introduced a bill to “eliminate and fix” AB 1955. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
The move comes after several California school boards passed bills requiring teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender, changes their name or pronouns, or asks to use opposite-sex restrooms, locker rooms or sports.
The new bill codifies existing state protections against alleged “forcible outing” of LGBTQ students and provides support to families of LGBTQ students. The measure also protects educators from retaliation if they fail to notify parents.
Opponents of the bill say it will leave parents in the dark.
“No matter how much Democrats hate it, the fact remains that parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education,” California Assembly Republican Representative James Gallagher said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I can’t believe anyone thinks teachers should be able to keep secrets from parents, but it’s absolutely disgusting that Democrats are trying to mandate that schools not tell parents anything.”
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In a letter to Ward, the California Policy Center argued that the bill is “unconstitutional” and would “violate parents’ established authority over their children and create a triple whammy….”
A view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images via National Urban League)
“The bottom line is that public schools are meant to support parents’ efforts to educate their children, not fail them as this bill seeks to codify,” wrote CPC’s vice president for education policy and government affairs.
“There are so many problems with this bill that a simple letter of opposition cannot cover them all. It is hard for skeptics to see this watered-down amendment as anything other than an attempt to hide these problems from public scrutiny, let alone adequate constitutional review.”
Ward countered that there is “nothing in the SAFETY Act that prohibits parents from talking to their children about sexual orientation, gender identity or anything else.”
“In fact, as a parent myself, I believe parents should have open discussions with their children and that these conversations should happen at home,” Ward said, adding that students’ decisions about whether to come out are “personal decisions” and should be made of their own volition.
Opponents of the bill say it would leave students’ parents in the dark. (iStock)
Supporters of the measure argue that while many parents are supportive of their children, many young people come from homes where they feel unwelcome.
The California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus argues that schools can be a “critical source of support,” pointing to studies such as The Trevor Project’s 2019 National LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Survey, which found that “affirming school environments significantly reduce the likelihood that transgender youth will attempt suicide.”
“While parental involvement in their children’s lives is desirable and often necessary, a student’s gender identity is generally a matter to be discussed between a child and their parents at a time and in a manner chosen by the family,” the LGBTQ Caucus said in a joint statement. “Teachers, administrators, and non-family members should not force families into having this discussion.”
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The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider the SAFETY Act next week.
If approved by the Senate, the bill would go back to the Assembly for further consideration before reaching Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
