Supporters of the LGBTQ community are calling Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of the SAFETY Act a win, while other local leaders say that it is simply another case of local governments losing control to the state.
Assembly Bill 1955, which bans school district employees from disclosing a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation without consent and bans school districts from implementing policies regarding the parental notification of such disclosures, was signed into law on Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California is the first state in the country to enact such a law, while six states have passed laws requiring school staff to notify parents of a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
Hart High School rising senior Avery Adelini said in a phone interview, “When you boil it down, the law just keeps kids safe,” adding that she feels it is inappropriate for schools to be involved in family matters.
According to Michael Vierra, interim superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District, the law won’t affect the district as “we don’t really have a policy on that.” He added that district staff is “really good about supporting students, parents and families.”
While the law, authored by Assemblyman Chris Ward, D-San Diego, and officially known as the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act, won’t have a direct effect on the district, opponents of the law say it signals the state’s intent to strip local governments of their control over their own constituents.
Hart district governing board member Joe Messina said he isn’t surprised that the law was signed.
“This California Legislature has decided that they know better than the locals, they know better than the people that vote us in at a school board level, they know better how to take care of your kids,” Messina said in a phone interview.
State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, one of eight senators to vote against the bill on the Senate floor, said this type of law is another indication that the government believes it can take care of a child better than the traditional family setting.
“I believe parents should guide their children, not the state,” Wilk said in a prepared statement. “Progressive policymakers believe they know better than parents. While normal people think AB 1955 is a massive overreach, I believe it’s just the beginning of government efforts to replace the traditional family.”
Hart district board President Linda Storli, a former teacher in the district, said teachers are already burdened with enough responsibility with upwards of 150 students to keep track of on a daily basis, and mandatory reporting policies are already in place if a school or district employee feels that a student is in danger.
“I just wish that we could spend our time teaching, not being dictated by the governor on what to do,” Storli said in a phone interview.
That doesn’t mean Storli believes parents shouldn’t be notified of things. She said teachers should “absolutely” report any students who show signs of suicidal thoughts or are seen as threats to themselves or others. Mental health concerns or issues surrounding grades or attendance are also things Storli said should be reported, but added that there are counselors in place to deal with those things.
Hart district board member Cherise Moore wrote in a text message: “My focus is always on doing what’s best for students.” She declined to elaborate further.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said in a California Department of Education news release that he is celebrating the signing of the bill. Thurmond was removed from a Chino Valley Unified School District board meeting last year after speaking up in opposition to a proposed district policy that would have forced district employees to notify parents if a child identifies as transgender, a policy that was ultimately approved and, as the law is written, is now illegal.
“I am proud to work alongside our legislators who have courageously championed the privacy rights of our most vulnerable students, and whose partnership has helped ensure that this bill made it to the governor’s desk for signing,” Thurmond said in the release. “This is a major step forward for the rights of students and families, and it is a reason to celebrate with our LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month.”
Business in California is being affected by Newsom’s signing of the bill. Elon Musk, owner of both the social platform X and SpaceX, a designer, manufacturer and launcher of rockets and spacecraft, announced Tuesday on X that he is planning to move both companies out of California to Texas.
Musk said this bill specifically was the “final straw” in his decision to leave the Golden State.
“Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas,” Musk posted on X. He later posted that the new X headquarters will be located in Austin, Texas.
Legal battles had already ensued after the Chino Valley school district and others adopted policies seeking to “forcibly out” members of the LGBTQ community, as opponents of such policies have described them. California Attorney General Rob Bonta eventually sued the Chino Valley district in August 2023, saying in a news release that such policies are detrimental to ensuring that “every student can enjoy their right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy and inclusivity.”
The Chino Valley district eventually rescinded its policy in March after a preliminary injunction was granted by the San Bernardino County Superior Court that said the policy was discriminatory.
Messina said there is no doubt that more legal battles will be fought on the matter. But in the meantime, he wants to make sure that parents get as much say in public education as they can.
“At some point, we’re going to have to work on that to make sure that the parents’ rights are being honored, and I’m willing to fight for it because there’s no reason for this,” Messina said. “Parents have a right to see what’s going on in class. They have a right to know what the kids are doing in school … We’re supposed to hand them off to an institution, you know, 8, 9 o’clock in the morning, pick them up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and not know where they’ve been or what they’ve had going on.
“I’m going to keep fighting for parental rights. I’m not stopping.”
The office of Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, did not have a statement immediately available on Tuesday. She voted for the bill on the Assembly floor, as did Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale. Sen. Henry Stern, D-Calabasas, did not have a vote recorded on the Senate floor.
