In its defense of a California school district’s pro-parent notification policy, the Liberty Justice Center filed a motion Thursday urging a court to issue a final judgement in a lawsuit against the policy filed by the state.
The final ruling request was filed in California v. Chino Valley Unified School District after the District amended its policy that had required school administrators to notify parents within three days if their child requests a gender change on their official or unofficial records, or wants to use a name, pronoun, or facility that differs from their sex at birth.
In concession, the District has removed language from the policy that required staff to notify parents when a student requests to be addressed by a different name or pronoun or use different bathroom and changing facilities.
Thus, under the new policy, a student can go by a different identity in school, as long as school records aren’t amended to reflect the change.
In August of 2023, Attorney General Rob Bonta obtained a temporary restraining order against the Chino Valley Unified School District, aiming to prevent the District from enforcing its parental notification policy. The next month, The Liberty Justice Center agreed to represent the District and defend the constitutionality of the policy. In March, following a judge’s initial rulings in the case, the District voted to update its policy
The motion for summary judgment filed Thursday argues that, while both versions of the policy are constitutional, the District’s subsequent change to the parental notification policy renders California’s legal challenge moot.
The Liberty Justice Center is also defending the parental notification policy of California’s Rocklin Unified School District against a lawsuit by the state’s Department of Education.