Staff Reports
The Trump administration has decided to investigate the California Department of Education, undoubtedly wondering how a state can so blatantly disregard parents’ rights while crafting laws that are still confusing to everyone—probably including the lawmakers themselves. The latest law in California makes it difficult for teachers and staff to notify parents when their child changes their gender identity at school. Presumably, this has been enacted under the pretense of “protecting” students, while conveniently ignoring the fundamental rights of those students’ parents.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon pointed out that the law might not just stray from common decency, but also flat-out violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This act guarantees parents access to their child’s educational records—except in California, where the law seems to have been written with a blindfold on. When a child wants to use different pronouns or express a different gender identity, California schools have the green light to keep parents in the dark. Apparently, who needs parent-child communication when there’s an agenda to push?
Not surprisingly, California’s leftist stronghold, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, has rushed to defend this eye-rolling policy. Newsom’s office asserted that parents still have rights to access their children’s records, as if acknowledging a fire while also insisting it’s merely a candle. Meanwhile, a spokesperson snarkily noted that a thorough investigation could be conducted merely by reading the law. This seems to evoke the same confidence as someone who declares they can single-handedly win a chess match while blindfolded.
Things to know about the White House investigation into California’s law on students and genderhttps://t.co/kk34i20L6I pic.twitter.com/cZoafEjsyw
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 28, 2025
The repercussions of this negligence could be severe. The U.S. Department of Education has hinted at the possibility of yanking funding away from California schools if they determine that violating federal rules is indeed the case. And with the law banning any forced disclosure of a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity, it’s hard to see how California will reconcile this with a federal government that actually cares about parental rights. The law was signed last year, making California the trendsetter in avoiding accountability in education, though it should be noted that this doesn’t stop teachers from choosing to inform parents voluntarily.
In the ongoing culture wars, there are voices on both sides pushing for clarity and parental involvement. Critics argue that parents should at least be made aware if their child decides to change their gender identity at school—a seemingly basic request that California lawmakers cannot comprehend. One school district, Chino Valley Unified, challenged this lack of transparency and instituted a policy that required staff to inform parents about such changes. Naturally, the state didn’t take too kindly to that and has been embroiled in a legal battle to stop any whiff of parental rights.
The debate has grown contentious as lawmakers, embroiled in their partisan feuds, push back against each other’s policies while students’ rights and parental rights hang in the balance. It’s no surprise that many feel the law offers far better protection to the ideas of “radical transgender ideology” than it does to children, leaving any sensible person scratching their head and muttering that perhaps it’s time someone took a serious look at whose interests are truly being served in California’s education system.
