The parents of a Fresno County teenager have filed a federal lawsuit after discovering their daughter was trying to transition without her parents' knowledge. The parents only found out after the teen was admitted to a hospital following a suicide attempt.
Greg Burt of the California Family Council argues her attempt to take her own life might have been prevented had the school informed her parents about her struggle.
"She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the Bay Area, and it was the doctor from that hospital who finally let the parents in and told them that their daughter was identifying as a boy. So that's where they found out," he tells AFN.
In the lawsuit, the mother states: "Upon learning about this, my husband and I contacted the school to ask if they were calling our daughter by a different name or using different pronouns. The school said, ‘no.’ However, we have learned that this was a lie, as handwritten letters and emails from teachers to our daughter indicated otherwise.”
It was also revealed to the parents that their daughter was president of the school's LGBT club – again, without their knowledge.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill (AB 1955) recently banning school policies that require teachers and staff to tell parents if their child is transitioning.
That anti-parent law was pushed through the state legislature after some pro-parent public school districts approved parental notification policies.
Burt argues there is no reason a school should keep that information secret from parents.
"That violates the Constitution which says parents have the right to direct the upbringing and the religious values that a kid is brought up in," he states, adding that the secrecy policies are "incredibly dangerous."
"How can youths receive the guidance and emotional support they need from their parents if the parents are kept in the dark about their children's struggles?" he offers in a statement.
