- California's attorney general is suing a school district over its policy that would forcibly out some LGBTQ+ students.
- The new policy requires school staff to tell parents if their kids want to use different pronouns.
California's attorney general is suing a school district that's forcing teachers to out transgender and nonbinary students to their parents.
The Chino Valley Unified School District — which has over 26,000 students — voted last month to approve a "parental notification" policy that requires teachers and school staff to alert parents if their kids want to use pronouns, names, or bathrooms, or join sports teams, that differ from their birth-assigned sex, the Los Angeles Times reported.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit Monday against the district accusing it of unlawfully discriminating against transgender and nonbinary students.
In a press release, Bonta's office wrote that the policy puts these students "in danger of imminent, irreparable harm from the consequences of forced disclosures" which subject the students "to disparate treatment and harassment, including mental, emotional, and even physical abuse."
Bonta's lawsuit alleges that, during a meeting discussing the policy, the district's board members said that transgender and gender non-conforming students have a "mental illness" and "perversion."
The lawsuit also accuses the school board president of saying that these students' parents need to take "non-affirming" actions so the kids can "get better."
A spokesperson for CVUSD told Insider in an email that the district was not informed of the lawsuit prior to its filing on Monday, adding that it is currently "working with its legal counsel to review the lawsuit and its contents."
The spokesperson continued, "I can share that the Parent Notification policy does protect transgender students by requiring staff to notify CPS/law enforcement if the student believes they are in danger or have been abused, injured, or neglected due to their parent/guardian knowing of their preferred gender identity."
The lawsuit follows a spate of anti-LGBTQ policies being floated around the country, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how schools can discuss gender identity and sexuality.