Parental rights prevail.
The Supreme Court handed parents a major win Monday, ruling that California public schools cannot keep families in the dark when children adopt a gender identity that differs from their sex recorded at birth.
In a split decision issued on its emergency docket, the court said parents likely have a constitutional right to be informed if their children begin using new pronouns, adopt a different name, or socially transition while at school.
“When a child exhibits symptoms of gender dysphoria at school, California’s policies conceal that information from parents and facilitate a degree of gender transitioning during school hours,” the court wrote in an unsigned seven-page opinion. “These policies likely violate parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.”
The ruling blocks California from enforcing the policy while litigation continues, signaling that a majority of the justices see serious constitutional concerns with the state’s approach.
The case centered on a California policy that allowed transgender students to socially transition at school without automatic parental notification. Critics argued the rule sidelined parents on deeply personal decisions. Supporters said it protected student privacy.
The court’s three Democratic-appointed justices dissented.
The statute, Assembly Bill 1955 — known as the “SAFETY Act” — was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 15, 2024, and took effect that same year.
The law prohibited schools from requiring staff to notify parents if a student expresses a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth without the student’s consent.
The law is now on hold.
Monday’s parental rights decision is likely to reverberate beyond California, as similar policies in other states face legal scrutiny. For now, the high court has made clear that parents cannot be cut out of the conversation when it comes to major decisions affecting their children’s identity at school.
More over at The Wall Street Journal:
The Supreme Court rules that California public schools can’t keep parents in the dark if their children express a gender identity that doesn’t align with their sex recorded at birth https://t.co/VT8DS6SU6b
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 3, 2026