Protect Kids CA

Oakland Unified, like many California school districts, has had a long-standing policy of maintaining student records that are inaccessible to parents, in violation of state and federal laws, in order to “socially transition” children without their parents’ knowledge or consent. In materials created for children, the District falsely claims that state law prevents staff from informing parents if their child adopts a new identity at school. They encourage children to “find accepting adults at school” if they do not feel comfortable talking to their parents. They assure children that their school identity will stay secret from their parents. If schools genuinely believed that children identifying as trans were at risk of abuse if their parents found out, it would be reckless to assure students that their new identity would remain hidden from parents. Even with schools unlawfully keeping secret records, this information is likely to surface, given that the children in question are “out” at school. Take heart in the fact that lawsuits challenging these types of policies have been successful so far, though they are still making their way through the courts.

Great job by the witnesses in opposition to AB1955, which attempts to allow schools to keep parents in the dark when children begin openly identifying as trans.