California Attorney General Investigating Chino School District Over Gender Parental Notification Policy

California’s attorney general is investigating one Los Angeles area school district over a new policy requiring schools to tell parents about student gender transitions.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta said Friday that he is launching a “civil rights investigation into potential legal violations” by the Chino Valley Unified School District just east of Los Angeles.

“Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,” Bonta said Friday in a press release, adding that the district’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.”

“California will not stand for violations of our students’ civil rights,” Bonta said.

Bonta previously sent a letter urging the school district not to adopt the policy.

The Chino Valley district’s new policy requires teachers to inform parents within three days if their children begin using names and pronouns that do not match the ones on their birth certificate or if a student requests to use the school bathroom or join the sports team of the opposite gender.

The Chino school board president said state officials are “overstepping their boundaries.”

“This is a ploy to try to scare all the other boards across California from adopting the policy,” Chino Valley school board president Sonja Shaw said. “I won’t back down and will stand in the gap to protect our kids from big government bullies.”

The school district was not notified about the investigation, according to a district spokesperson.

The district adopted the gender notification policy last month during a heated school board meeting.

During the July 20 meeting, California’s superintendent of public instruction Tony Thurmond was escorted out by security after he showed up to argue against the policy.

Thurmond’s speaking time ran out and his microphone was cut, but he continued speaking for several seconds afterward.

“Tony Thurmond, I appreciate you being here tremendously, but here’s the problem,” Shaw, the school board president said during the meeting.

“We’re here because of people like you. You’re in Sacramento proposing things that pervert children,” Shaw said as the crowd in the room erupted into cheers.

Thurmond returned to the podium and asked to be allowed to respond.

“No, this is not your meeting. You may have a seat, because if I did that to you in Sacramento you would not accept it. Please sit.” Shaw said. “You will not bully us here in Chino.”

Four security officers approached Thurmond and took him by the arm before Thurmond relented and walked out of the room to shouts, chants, and clapping from the crowd.

Members of the community packed into the meeting, many holding signs and wearing shirts expressing their position on the gender notification policy.

“Queer Nation,” read one sign. “Leave Our Kids Alone,” read some attendees’ shirts.

“Anyone who wants to hide things from me about my little kids, you’re no friend of mine,” said one dad who addressed the board.

“I just want to apologize to Sonja,” one mother told the board president. “I just thank you so much for your bravery. You are in your position because we the parents, like we the people, have had enough of the garbage.”