California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law Monday, July 15, barring school districts from passing policies that require schools to notify parents if their child asks to change their gender identification.
The law bans rules requiring school staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child’s permission. Proponents of the legislation say it will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in unwelcoming households. But opponents say it will hinder schools’ ability to be more transparent with parents.
The law comes amid a broader debate over local school districts and the rights of parents and LGBTQ+ students.
"Politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender, nonbinary, and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise nationwide, including in California," Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, who authored the law, said in a statement. "While some school districts have adopted policies to forcibly out students, the SAFETY Act ensures that discussions about gender identity remain a private matter within the family."
The new law comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents be notified if a child requests to change their gender identification. That led to pushback by Democratic state officials who say students have a right to privacy.
But Jonathan Zachreson, an advocate in California who supports the so-called parental notification policies, opposes the law and said telling parents about a student’s request to change their gender identification is "critical to the well-being of children and for maintaining that trust between schools and parents."
States across the country have sought to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar transgender athletes from girls' and women’s sports and require schools to out trans and nonbinary students to their parents. Some lawmakers in other states have introduced bills with broad language requiring that parents be notified of any changes to their child’s emotional health or well-being.