Under a new California law, school districts can no longer require staff to tell parents about a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation. Several Republicans voiced opposition to the law because they say schools should not withhold this information from parents.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on Monday, making the Golden State the first one in the country to pass a law like this.
Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, told The Associated Press in a statement that the law keeps children safe and protects the role of parents.
“It 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,” said Richards.
The law comes after a series of school boards in the state implemented policies that required school districts to inform parents if their child goes by a different name or pronouns at school or asks to use different facilities, Politico reported. There were legal challenges to these policies. In some cases, courts upheld the policies and in other cases, they were blocked or narrowed.
What California politicians said during bill debate
The debate on the Assembly floor over the bill was chaotic.
Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, reportedly cut the microphone multiple times of a Republican lawmaker who voiced opposition to the bill. “The Democratic caucus ultimately paused the vote to take a recess after Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Perris, was physically restrained by his colleagues to stop him from confronting (Bill) Essayli on the Assembly floor.”
When Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, the first Muslim elected to the California State Assembly, was allowed to speak, he said, “We stand with you. We do not want anyone to be bullied or hurt or erased or any of this stuff. When a child is going through this, it’s a very difficult and emotional time. ... We do not believe that the government — the schools — have any authority to withhold information from parents at all, period.”
The bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward, D-San Diego, said about the bill, per the Los Angeles Times, “It’s not the job of teachers to be the gender police. They want to teach, and they want to be able to provide a safe and supportive environment. And when they do, students will thrive. Nothing in this bill gets involved in the parent-child relationship.”
California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher opposed the bill in a statement to Fox News saying he believes this information should not be withheld from parents.
“No matter how much Democrats dislike it, the fact is parents have a right to be involved in their kids’ education,” said Gallagher. “It’s unbelievable that anyone would think that teachers can keep secrets from parents, but it’s flat-out disgusting that Democrats are trying to mandate that schools keep parents in the dark.”
Ward told Fox News he believes these conversations should happen at home and the choice for a student to come out is a “personal one.”