California Education Policy

The Thomas More Society has filed an emergency appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a federal district judge’s injunction against key parts of a 2024 California law that bars public-school teachers from informing parents if a student changes pronouns or gender identity, except in vaguely defined "compelling" circumstances. The appeal comes after U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled last month that parents have a constitutional right to be told if their child expresses gender incongruence and that teachers have a right to share that information, but the 9th Circuit put his injunction on hold while California, led by Attorney General Rob Bonta, appeals. The case, brought by two Escondido Union School District teachers, could give the Supreme Court an early opportunity to weigh in on the balance between parental rights, student privacy and school obligations regarding students’ gender identity.