Riverside school board won’t consider parent notification policy – Press Enterprise

The Riverside school board showed no interest in considering a policy similar to one in Chino Valley that has drawn ire from pro-LGBTQ groups and some residents.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, the board discussed a proposal to adopt a parent notification policy similar to the Chino Valley Unified School District’s.

The policy would have outlined parents’ rights to be involved in their child’s education, including access to the students’ records if they are changed. Chino Valley schools approved such rules in March after revising its original policy that required school employees to notify parents if their child wanted to change pronouns or gender. The Chino district’s revised policy was criticized by LGBTQ groups and some residents for vague language and as a veiled attempt to target LGBTQ students.

Riverside Unified School District board member Amanda Vickers encouraged her board to bring the proposal — which came from an unnamed resident — back for a vote.

Parents have a right to be involved in their child’s education and courts across the country “have reiterated that right,” she said. 

To those concerned about the safety of students who could be outed by such a policy, Vickers said school employees are mandated reporters and that the Riverside Police Department would also step in if needed.

“If we don’t, I do hope that under the new administration that President Trump’s rules do come in and assist us,” Vickers said, referring to several executive orders regarding transgender rights.

A lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Feb 4, over President Donald Trump’s executive orders to narrowly define the sexes, halt federal support for gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19. He also signed an executive order Wednesday, Feb. 5, barring transgender athletes from women’s sports.

Because the proposal was for discussion, there was no vote taken. Board President Brent Lee sought a consensus among board members to see if the board would revisit the issue.

Trustees remained silent and Lee said “that’s not happening, at this time at least.”

The parent notification policy was originally passed by the Chino Valley school board in July 2023 and required schools to tell parents within three days if their child identifies as transgender. The state challenged the district’s policy and in October 2023 a San Bernardino Superior Court judge ruled that the first two parts of the policy violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause while the last was considered legal because it affected all students.

The district then rewrote the policy in March 2024, removing any mention of gender.

In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB1955, which made such policies illegal. Chino challenged the law, filing a lawsuit the day after the bill was signed.

At the Riverside meeting, speakers expressed concern that the proposed policy would be a veiled attempt at forcibly outing transgender students.

“The parent notification policy simply has its roots in the discrimination of trans students. If you enact it, you are sending a message to LGBTQ youth that you are allowing violent transphobia to dictate their rights,” said Erica Ruiz, a representative of  the Inland Empire Prism Collective, a San Bernardino-based nonprofit group that supports LGBTQ youths.

She said the proposal’s vague language does not define unofficial records and could create a loophole for discrimination against LGBTQ students.

Those in favor of such a policy said it would keep parents involved in education.

District parent Maria Carrillo said current board policy lets schools lie to parents. Not sharing the information violates parents’ rights to be involved in their child’s education, she said.

“The alarming justification that it is for safety is concerning,” Carrillo said. “Because it is us, it’s the parents. We want to know any type of record at school.”