California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on July 15 that prohibits school staff from disclosing changes in a student’s gender identity to parents without the student’s consent. This law, along with several other new laws to be signed simultaneously by the governor, will also prohibit school districts from requiring employees to disclose information about a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to anyone without the student’s consent. Furthermore, the law will protect teachers and school staff by ensuring they will not face retaliation for not reporting to parents.
Elon Musk announced on Tuesday, July 16, that SpaceX and “X” company will be moving out of California, calling the law the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Musk stated on the X platform: “Due to this law and several others that have attacked families and businesses, SpaceX will relocate its headquarters from Hawthorne, California to Starbase, Texas.”
Musk further added, “I explicitly told Governor Newsom about a year ago that these types of laws would force families and businesses to leave California.”
Musk later announced that the headquarters of the X company will be moved from San Francisco to Austin.
Governor Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards stated via email, “This law is designed to protect the safety of children while upholding the importance of parents. By preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately interfering with family matters and attempting to control when and how private conversations take place, it aims to protect the relationship between children and parents.”
Supporters of California Assembly Bill AB1955, state that the parent notification policies adopted by Chino Valley Unified School District and Temecula Valley Unified School District are seen as “forced disclosure” policies. However, opponents argue that these policies are “secrecy” policies, leaving parents in the dark about their children’s situations.
Assemblyman Chris Ward, who introduced the “Supporting Academics for Future Education and Today’s Youth (SAFETY)” Act, listed as a priority bill in the California Assembly LGBTQ Caucus, emphasized that discussions about gender identity should remain within the family.
LGBTQ Caucus Chair and California Senator Susan Eggman stated in a release that the governor’s signing of the bill “reaffirms California’s position as a leader and safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth globally.”
The AB1955 bill will formally incorporate guidelines issued by the California Department of Education in a question-and-answer format into law, suggesting that when students experience changes in gender identity at school, it should be decided by the student whether to inform the parents.
Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor, condemned the law as “unethical and unconstitutional,” stating it poses a danger to children, and is likely to face legal challenges. Essayli was the proponent of AB1314, a bill that ensures parents will be notified when a student changes gender at school. However, his bill was rejected in committee as the Chair of the State Assembly Education Committee refused to schedule a hearing.
Regarding legal proceedings, California Attorney General Rob Bonta previously filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District and obtained a partial preliminary injunction in October 2023, halting the implementation of their parent notification policy.
Meanwhile, a federal case, Mirabelli v. Olson, involving two teachers from Escondido Unified School District, is under court review as they were disciplined by the district for refusing to conceal students’ gender transitions from parents. A preliminary injunction was issued in September 2023 by Federal Judge Roger Benitez, halting the district’s disciplinary action against Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West. The two were later reinstated by the district.
Judge Benitez concluded that excluding parents violates their constitutional rights, describing the policies as a “triple harm” that hurts students in need of parental guidance and potential mental health interventions, deprives parents of decision-making rights for their children, and requires teachers to hide vital information they believe is crucial for student well-being.
Attorney Erin Friday shared that her teenage daughter once identified as male but later embraced her female identity. Friday expressed through a text message to the Epoch Times that AB1955 undermines the “sacred and inviolable” parent-child relationship, potentially affecting parents who wish to understand if their children are struggling with gender dysphoria, a mental health condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
On the same day AB1955 was signed into law, the Liberty Justice Center, representing parents from Chino Valley Unified School District and various California public schools, filed a lawsuit against the law. In a statement, the organization declared, “School officials have no authority to keep facts from parents.”