The Liberty Justice Center has announced a victory regarding parents' rights in California following the state's decision not to appeal a court ruling. This decision upholds the Chino Valley Unified School District's policy of notifying parents when their children request changes to official or unofficial records.
The dispute began in August 2023 when Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the district, aiming to stop it from informing parents if minors requested name, pronoun, or facility changes differing from their birth sex. The Liberty Justice Center represented the district in defending its policy starting in September of that year.
In March 2024, after preliminary court rulings, the district revised its policy. While it retained the requirement for school administrators to inform parents within three days of record change requests by students, it removed clauses about notifying parents on name or pronoun use changes.
By September 2024, the Superior Court of California ruled that maintaining notification for record changes was constitutional and did not infringe on student privacy rights. With Attorney General Bonta opting not to appeal this decision by the deadline, the case concluded favorably for those advocating parental notification policies.
Emily Rae, Senior Counsel at Liberty Justice Center, stated: "We are proud to have defended Chino Valley’s parental notification policy and look forward to continuing our ever-expanding legal battle for Californian families’ rights."
The Liberty Justice Center remains committed to advocating for parental rights and holding public officials accountable without imposing costs on clients or taxpayers.