Chino Valley USD's gender notification policy blocked by judge, called 'discriminatory'

CHINO, Calif. - A San Bernardino County judge has permanently blocked the Chino Valley Unified School District's controversial "gender notification" policy, after more than a year's worth of back-and-forth between the state and the school district.

In July 2023, CVUSD passed a policy requiring teachers and other school employees to notify students' parents if their child wants to use a name or pronoun other than the ones on their official documents.

Before the policy was passed, school board members described trans students as suffering from a "mental illness" or "perversion," or as being a threat to the integrity of the nation and the family.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Chino Valley Unified to require parents get notified about transgender students 

A month later, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the district, saying the policy would forcibly "out" transgender students, including in situations which could put them in "imminent harm." The district then changed the policy, requiring parents to be notified if a child requests to have their school records altered, but removed any references to gender identification. 

In October, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael Sachs issued a preliminary injunction in the case, forcing CVUSD to put the policy on hold until a final decision on the case was made. 

The court's ruling this week permanently blocked the parts of the policy that related to gender notification, and allowed the notification requirement for record changes to stay in place.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 

• AG sues California school district over policy to out trans students to parents
• Chino Valley USD changes controversial gender ID policy after being sued by state
• Judge blocks Chino Valley's controversial parental notification policy amid legal battle

Bonta called this week's ruling "a win for all students in Chino Valley and across the State."

"Let this decision send a clear message to other school districts that have passed or are contemplating similar policies: discriminatory policies will not be tolerated in our educational institutions," Bonta said in a statement.

Sonja Shaw is the President of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education. She reacted to the ruling in a post on X on Wednesday. Shaw said the board was "disappointed with parts of the ruling," and went on to accuse Bonta of "attempting to gaslight the public about the ruling’s impact, misleading people to believe that it represents a victory for parental rights when, in reality, it undermines our ability to keep parents fully informed."

In his ruling, Sachs said that blocking the policy "does not infringe upon [parental] rights."

"There is no forced secrecy in this case; parents are still free to have conversations with their child about gender identity; and parents have the right to observe a classroom, talk to a teacher, and review education records," Sachs wrote. "In other words, a parent asserting their rights will likely be informed."

The battle has become a statewide issue. In June of this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1955, banning policies like the one the CVUSD enacted across the state. Many opponents of the move have falsely claimed that the law prevents teachers from telling parents about issues with their children, but the bill only keeps school districts from requiring that teachers notify parents without the child's permission. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The CVUSD Board has sued over the law, calling it unconstitutional.

In her X post Wednesday, Shaw said that the Board plans to appeal the decision.

The full decision is below: