CA is condemned to maintain the Transsexual Student Protection Act

From Carolyn JonesCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

California officials said they would not abandon a state law that protects the confidentiality of transgender students, despite the threat of Trump administration today to refuse federal funding on the matter.

“Our students must be safe to learn,” said the state chief of public instructions Tony Turmond. “I have heard from so many students and families whose safety has been influenced by forced trips. For our LGBTQ+ young people and families, I want to make sure you hear us as loudly as we hear, you are heard, you are protected and loved.”

The US Department of Education said it would investigate California for claiming to have violated the right of parents to consider students’ records under the Family Educational Privacy Act, Based on a new state law This prohibits schools from requiring staff from notifying parents if a student identifies himself as transgender.

Protection of LGBTQ students at school

Thehe Aim of law AB 1955 is to protect students who can be “out” at school, but not at home. In addition, it aims to protect teachers from becoming a “gender police” who risk violating school policy if they do not inform parents of students’ sexual identity.

In the end, the law aims to help transgender students feel safe at school. Students who identify themselves as LGBTQ are more likely to be harassed or harassed at a school, which can lead to higher absences, depression and other challenges, according to the Trevor project, which stands for LGBTQ Youth.

California’s law came in response to half a dozen schools, adopting policies in the last few years, requiring employees to inform the parents if a student identifies as a gender other than what they were assigned at birth. The justification is that parents have the right to know whether their child is undergoing a major change in their lives and may need support.

The K-12 California Schools received about $ 10 billion from the federal government last year, less than 10% of the total K-12 budget. The main programs that receive federal funding are special education and Title I, which distribute additional money for schools with a large number of low -income students.

“The hammer goes down”

Parents’ notification advocates have cheered today’s federal move.

“The hammer is coming down,” said Sonia Shaw, president of the University Quarter of the Chin Valley, among the first areas to adopt such a policy. “Parents have an indisputable right to know what is happening to their children and we will not allow the (Governor of California) Newsom and his bureaucrats to conceal him. This is only the beginning. We will not stop.”

In 2023, California filed a lawsuit against the area of ​​Shaw and won a permanent order This stopped the area to implement its policy. In July, Newsom signed a bill banning practice across the country. In addition to the Ciney Valley, the school districts in Temecula, Roshawil, Rockelin and Anderson have also passed the parents to notify parents.

On Thursday, California employees said the State Law did not violate federal confidentiality laws, as it did not actually stop school staff from discussing the identity of the gender of students with parents – it only stopped schools from demanding staff with the parents. The law also does not stop parents from watching students’ written records.

Defenders of LGBTQ students called the movement of the Trump administration “shame” and losing money.

“LGBTQ+ young people and their families deserve to have sensitive conversations on their own and in a way that guarantees that students feel safe and supported in school,” says Tony Hoang, CEO of Equity California. “It is a shame that (the Trump administration) will soon see families fighting and students with disabilities to remain without resources than to maintain the fundamental rights of students.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.