07-24-2024
California became the first state to prohibit schools from notifying parents that their child has asked to use a different name and pronoun. Parents will continue to have the right to access their child's school records, and minors must still get their parent's permission before legally changing their name or gender.
Over the past year, more than a dozen California school boards implemented new policies that required school employees to tell parents when their students asked to be called a different name or use another pronoun. Leaders in the state's more conservative areas had promised to improve relations between schools and parents by giving parents more control over their kids' education. These measures concerned many liberal leaders in the state, including Governor Gavin Newsom and State Attorney General Rob Bonta. The Governor's spokesperson said the new law "protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when[,] and how families have deeply personal conversations.”
LGBTQ organizations support the new law because it will protect the privacy and safety of transgender students who might fear their parent's reaction to identity changes. Conservatives, however, have said they will challenge the law in court, with one school official calling it “morally corrupt.” Some conservatives argue that they have a constitutional right to control their children's upbringing. Legal scholars counter that children have a constitutional right to privacy. Several states have passed policies requiring parental notification name and pronoun changes to support parental rights. Elon Musk said California's law was the "final straw" and vowed to move X's and Space X's headquarters to Texas.