A second California school district has enacted a parental rights policy requiring staff to let parents know if their child is transgender.
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The Murrieta Valley Unified School District approved the policy in a 3-2 vote Thursday night, with people on both sides of the divide showing up to make their voices heard.
The newfound requirement, which saw applause and cheers accompany its passage, was brought up for consideration by Murrieta Valley Unified School District President Paul F. Diffley III and clerk Nicolas Pardue, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Diffley explained his motivation for pushing the policy, telling The Times he believes parents are best suited to handle these issues.
“As a parent, I would want to know about everything that concerns my child’s mental health and physical health while they’re at school,” he told the outlet. “I don’t think there should be anything hidden, because I have a fundamental right as a parent to bring up my child. … If I can’t get all the information I need to have to have a reasonable discussion with my child, then the school is not doing its job.”
Others expressed their view the school might be the only place transgender children receive affirmation. The divide was clearly seen among members of the community and the board members themselves.
While trustee Nicolas Pardue said he believes the passage sends “a strong signal to the community that we stand with parental rights.”
But fellow trustee Linda Lunn pushed back, stating passage by the board sends “a clear message to our students that they are not safe in our schools.”
As CBN’s Faithwire previously reported, the new policy approval in Murrieta Valley Unified School District comes after another California district, Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, recently passed a similar measure.
Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, recently told CBN’s Faithwire the slew of diabolical threats and messages that followed her district’s passage of the parental rights measure has been “a little bizarre.”
“I’m grateful that we were able to bring a model policy forward for something like that,” Shaw said. “But … we did get some heat for it, but I do want to say, even though there’s heat, there is so much support from all over the nation, which I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”
The Chino Valley policy mandates parents be notified within three days of their child’s decision to identify as their non-biological gender.
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