Gavin Newsom bans schools from notifying parents of children's gender identity change

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will prohibit teachers from notifying families about their children's gender identity changes.

The decision is a reaction to directives from school boards in some areas of California that mandated notifying parents if their child changes name or pronouns. Within those directives, schools were also required to inform parents if students requested to use facilities or participate in programs that do not match their gender.

In opposition to those regulations, the Newsom bill would also require the California Department of Education to offer resources to parents and students on how to "manage conversations about gender and identity privately," explained The Los Angeles Times which reported the Democrat's decision.

In that regard, the report explained that "the Democratic-controlled state Legislature passed AB 1955 last month after a fiery debate LGBTQ+ Democrats had with Republicans who alleged the policy aimed to drive a wedge between parents and their children and was a governmental overstep."

Meanwhile, personalities such as entrepreneur Elon Musk rejected Newsom's decision. Musk wrote on X that it is a policy that pushes for the state to have control over people's lives.

Similar was the position of lawmaker and California House Minority Leader James Gallagher. During the debate he argued that parents have a right to know what education their children are receiving.

"Parents are not the enemy — they are critical to a child’s growth and wellbeing, and they have a constitutional right to be involved in their education," Gallagher said in a statement to Courthouse News.