Teachers and staff members in Orange Unified School District may be forced to inform parents if their children identify as transgender or request to be treated as a gender that differs from their biological sex.
The school board first considered the proposal at its meeting last Thursday with dozens of public comments on both sides of the issue.
The item was brought forward by board members Rick Ledesma and Madison Miner. The discussion was the first reading on the board’s agenda and will return in September for a formal vote and potential adoption.
“We believe it is important to clarify communication between the school district and parents and guardians on these important matters pertaining to the mental health and social and emotional issues of their students in order to prevent or reduce potential issues of self-harm,” Ledesma said during the meeting.
Miner said the policy is important to help protect children from suicide or self-harm since children that identify as transgender are more likely to suffer from suicidal ideation.
“A parent is a child’s best advocate,” Miner said. “If we can save children from suicide by bringing their parents alongside them, I think it’s a great idea.”
But board member Kris Erickson said the district already has policies that address suicide, and the only new aspect of the policy is regarding gender identity.
“I have three concerns: one is the targeting and discrimination of trans and nonbinary students,” Erickson said. “Two is the high likelihood of expensive litigation that I think will come from this, and three is the blatant government interference in the family unit that this mandates.”
If passed, the proposed policy states that notifications must be sent to parents and guardians by school district staff within three school days of discovering that a student wishes to identify or be treated as a gender other than their biological sex.
That includes if a student requests to use a name that differs from their legal name or pronouns associated with their biological sex and if a student requests to access sex-segregated school programs that do not align with their biological sex.
Greg Goodlander, president of the Orange Unified Education Association and French teacher at Orange High School, signed a letter addressed to the school board speaking against the proposal.
“Disclosure of a transgender or gender nonconforming student’s gender identity to parents without the student’s consent could expose the District to liability under state and federal privacy laws and California’s anti-discrimination laws,” the letter reads.
Around 60 speakers also came to the meeting, many of which spoke against the item.
“This policy would make students feel unsafe in school,” said Ruby Hewitt, a recent graduate from El Modena High School and former student school board member. “This policy would make students feel guilty for who they are by targeting their identity as an abnormality or something they should be punished for.”
Other speakers championed parents’ rights to be informed about their children’s health and well-being.
“Whose children are they?” parent Gheorghe Rosca said. “These children are not the school board’s children. They are not the government’s children. They are the parents’ children and parents have the rights over them.”
Earlier this summer, both the Chino Valley Unified School District and Murrieta Valley Unified School District passed a similar motion, both enduring long periods of public comment and debate….
Parents have no secret agendas. Let parents protect their own children.
You are thinking of good upright parents.
Some parents are the worst things that ever happen to their kids.
If you don’t know, then you are blessed.
Bad parents must be reported to the Child Protective Services (CPS). You can do this anonymously. The CPS will investigate the reported abusive home, and remove suffering children, if becessary, from the abusive home.
Laudado Si killed over 1,000 people in Lahaina, Maui because a government water official refused to release water to fight the fire out of reverence for Mother Earth.
There is no such thing as mother earth. God created everything. Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Maui survived the fire with no damage. Flowers at the foot of the alter were not withered even though everything around the Church was burned. This was reported on News Nation.
I think St. Francis called earth our mother and the moon our sister. You should read about mystics like him who saw things more deeply. The earth gave birth to all of us, so it is our mother. We should reverence our mother creation. St. Francis is the saint of creation care ministry. There’s one at my parish. We have a Laudato Si vegetable garden for the community, and our creation care ministry has more members in it than any other parish group. I can’t wait for the expanded version of Laudato Si that Pope Francis is going to write. We’re already planning reading and discussion sessions so that we can be at the forefront of doing what Pope Francis asks of us to care for mother earth as our responsibility to future generations.
can’t wait: More than 800 years ago Saint Francis wrote that our Sister Mother Earth sustains and governs us; she gives us life. The social teaching of our Church speaks to us caring for all God’s creation-this includes God’s people and God’s earth.
God made the earth, and he expects us to be good stewards of the planet, but the earth is not my mother. It is God who sustains us. The earth is just a thing that God created. St. Francis stated that too, although he used “pet names” for God’s creations. St. Francis was not a vegetarian either, so don’t tell people they have to be vegetarians unless that is what they choose to be. It is good to fast from certain foods now and then, but moderation is the key to good health.
It is God who sustains us, THROUGH his creations, the moon, stars, earth, water, fire, etc., etc. That is what St. Francis of Assisi taught. We need to be careful to explain that, or we can get caught up in polytheism — the worship of many gods and goddesses, which is forbidden by the First Commandment.
I should have posted my two posts as a reply to “can’t wait” and not to “restrainer”, and I should have been more polite and have written “we should not tell people they have to be vegetarians unless they choose to be so……….” instead of what I wrote.
Mea culpa! (My fault!)
Anne TE, we were made from the clay of the Earth by God. Genesis 2:7
These are not classic fights. They are unholy fights. Pray the family rosary. A family that prays together stays together.
Many good faith-and-family organizations are encouraging prayers at Fall football games, once again, especially since Coach Joe Kennedy won his case at the Supreme Court. We need to bring God closer to our public schools, as close as is possible– so He can help them.
A wonderful story from the Bremerton, Washington School Board who voted Thursday to accept $2 million settlement with Joseph Kennedy a high school assistant football coach who was placed on leave in 2015 for praying on the field with his players. It was a unanimous approval by 5 members of the board. Kennedy will resume his old coaching role for the upcoming season. From the Seattle Times. Praise God! Yes bring back God to our public schools.