A California school district adopted a pro-parent transparency policy Thursday that requires its schools to notify parents if their child expresses a "gender identity" that is different from their biological sex.
The Chino Valley Unified School District passed the measure on a 4-to-1 vote after a heated four-hour board meeting with nearly 90 speakers that saw the state superintendent kicked out for refusing to sit down after his time expired.
School board president Sonja Shaw lauded the vote as an important move to protect the rights of parents.
"As a parent, we were shut down," Shaw said. "We tried to have conversations. They pushed us out to politicians, I'm a soccer mom, I will say that, I am a fitness trainer. I had no desire to ever be in this seat. The person that I unseated is a disgruntled ex-politician and she's upset that we unseated her, the parents."
"Stop assuming that parents are dangerous, that's reckless, and I will say this, because a household is affirming or not affirming, right now they are saying non-affirming households are dangerous," she continued. "Where do you get that?"
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Shaw continued, "Actually if you ask me, and I've listened to tons of parents, it's actually very safe to be a non-affirming, loving, caring household, because guess what? They are going to provide … the necessary needs that they need to be able to get better. For me, that is important, bring the parent in."
The new policy mandates the school district must inform parents in cases where a child expresses a desire to be identified or treated as a gender different from their biological sex, intends to use bathroom and athletic facilities of the opposite sex, seeks a pronoun or name change, or if there are mental health concerns with the child, such as potential suicidal thoughts.
The move comes amid retaliation from Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., against conservative school board members in the state. On Thursday, Newsom followed through on threats to fine the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) $1.5 million over claims the district banned a textbook because it mentioned gay right activist Harvey Milk.
"The three political activists on the school board have yet again proven they are more interested in breaking the law than doing their jobs of educating students — so the state will do their job for them," Newsom said Wednesday in a statement.
The $1.5 million fine covers the cost of shipping the rejected materials, an action he said he would take in a July 13 video where he called the school board members "extremist" and vowed to ensure the district's students received the same materials as other California schools.
"California will ensure students in Temecula begin the school year with access to materials reviewed by parents and recommended by teachers across the district," he added Wednesday. "After we deliver the textbooks into the hands of students and their parents, the state will deliver the bill — along with a $1.5 million fine — to the school board for its decision to willfully violate the law, subvert the will of parents, and force children to use an out-of-print textbook from 17 years ago."
Dr. Joseph Komrosky, the president of the TVUSD Board of Education, saw it differently and fired back at Newsom's claims last week, insisting that the board did not "ban" the elementary school social studies textbook. Rather, they chose not to adopt a new pilot curriculum and the supplemental textbook material that included Milk was only one of several objections.
"It is unfortunate that Governor Newsom and others have seized upon an action by the Temecula Valley Unified School expressly authorized by the California Legislature and mischaracterized not only what has occurred, but why," he told Fox News Digital, reiterating that he did not speak on behalf of the entire board.
Komrosky was previously criticized by Newsom for calling Milk a "pedophile," citing an alleged relationship between Milk and a teenager.
"It was never my intention to insult anyone, as it is always my intention to lead with civility," he said. "My word choice is based upon facts represented by Mr. Milk, and I don’t believe those facts are a good example for our children to learn about in elementary school."
Newsom and the school district did not respond to request for comment.
Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
