The California Senate has approved a proposal that would restrict school districts from sharing information about students’ gender identity and sexual orientation with parents, unless the student gives explicit consent. The bill, which passed with a 60-15 vote, is now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature.
Newsom’s office has confirmed that the governor has 12 days to sign the bill into law. Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Republican, has spoken out against the legislation, calling it “dangerous” and “an assault on parental rights.”
“California is leading the nation in stripping parents of their constitutional and God-given right to raise their children,” Essayli said in a statement. “This bill defies common sense and is a threat to the fundamental relationship between parents and their children.”
Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher has also expressed concerns about the bill, citing its implication that school officials and teachers are always safe, while parents are not. “I think we would probably agree on both sides that’s not true,” he said.
