Chino Valley Unified School District made news over the summer, and made powerful enemies in state government, when its school board approved a policy that requires school staff to notify parents if their child's gender identify changes, such as their name or pronouns.
The loudest and most powerful opponent of Chino Valley's policy is the state attorney general, Robert Bonta. After the policy was approved, he announced a “civil rights” investigation of the school district. That investigation was followed by a lawsuit that has now put a temporary stop to the parental policy thanks to a judge’s injunction two weeks ago.
"The attorney general does not have grounds to bring this lawsuit," says attorney Emily Rae, with Liberty Justice Center, the law firm representing Chino Valley. "The lawsuit points to laws but none of them actually supports the points that the attorney general is trying to make."
Even worse for Attorney General Bonta, Rae adds, current California state law supports the Chino Valley school board and its parental notification policy.
"It supports transparency and collaboration between schools and parents, which is exactly what this Chino Valley policy is about,” Rae tells AFN.
Indoctrinate students, then support them
Chino Valley's policy appeared to be a direct response to transgender ideology, which has invaded thousands of school classrooms in recent years. In those classes, study materials such as pronoun graphs and student questionnaires can be traced to the teachers themselves, who are themselves LGBT activists. Thanks largely to social media, where they brag about their activism, parents now know those teachers introduce gender ideology and then promise to support students who identify as a different gender.
Part of that confidential support often means keeping disapproving parents in the dark, which California public school teachers have also bragged about to other teachers, but Chino Valley openly pushed back with its policy.
Even in California, with thousands of liberal laws in place, it’s unclear what state law Bonta will use to convince a court to stop the school district's policy. In a recent interview with KNBC LA, Bonta cited the state constitution, and education and anti-discrimination state code, but he appeared nervous during the interview and he was mocked on social media for failing to cite a specific law Chino Valley is allegedly violating.
Meanwhile, Rae’s legal defense backs up Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley’s outspoken school board president. After she was elected last year for promising to stand with parents, Shaw pushed for the parental policy and has all but dared Bonta to use his state office to openly fight parental rights.
"Don't let them intimidate you. Your kids are worth the fight," Shaw recently told AFN.
