CA school district sues Newsom over bill banning schools from notifying parents of child's gender identity
A Southern California school district is suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over a law banning schools from enacting polices to notify parents if their child uses different pronouns or gender identity at school.
Newsom signed the law Monday and received extensive praise from LGBTQ lobbying groups. The school district argues the law violates parents' rights under the U.S. Constitution.
"PK-12 minor students, most of whom are too young to drive, vote, or provide medical consent for themselves, are also too young to make life-altering decisions about their expressed gender identity without their parents’ knowledge. But that is precisely what AB 1955 enables—with potentially devastating consequences for children too young to fully comprehend them," Emily Rae, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center (LJC), said in a statement.
"School officials do not have the right to keep secrets from parents, but parents do have a constitutional right to know what their minor children are doing at school. Parents are the legal guardians of their children, not Governor Newsom," she added.
Rae and the LJC are representing the school district in its court battle.
Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment, but they told NBC News that they are confident that the law is in line with the Constitution and are planning to fight the lawsuit in court.
"California law ensures minors can’t legally change their name or gender without parental consent, and parents continue to have guaranteed and full access to their student’s educational records consistent with federal law," Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gardon told the outlet. "We’re confident the state will swiftly prevail in this case."
The lawsuit came the same day that billionaire Elon Musk weighed in, saying he plans to move the headquarters of SpaceX and the social media platform X to Texas from California, in part because of the new law.
"This is the final straw. Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas," Musk wrote in a post on X.
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The new law comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents be notified if a child requests to change their gender identification. That led to pushback by Democratic state officials, who say students have a right to privacy.
AB 1955 also requires the state Department of Education to develop resources for families of LGBTQ students in grade 7 through high school. The law is set to take effect in January.
Fox News' Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.