LaMalfa introduces bill to strengthen parental rights in schools
Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa introduced H.R. 1585, the Prohibiting Parental Secrecy Policies in Schools Act of 2023, to strengthen parental rights in schools and strike down Chico Unified School District’s Parental Secrecy Policy.
The legislation comes in response to the case of Regino v. Staley. Aurora Regino, a Chico mother and plaintiff in the case, alleges that when her fifth grade daughter went to see a guidance counselor at her elementary school, it took only minutes for the counselor to decide herself that Aurora’s daughter was, in her opinion, a boy.
The counselor prohibited the student from telling her mother, and had the entire school refer to the student by a new name and pronouns for months.
Chico Unified School District, like school districts across California, has adopted official California Department of Education guidance to Cal. Ed. Code 221.5 (AB 1266) to prohibit teachers and school administrators from notifying parents of their student’s gender transition.
Today, Congressman LaMalfa held a press conference to announce his introduction of the bill with Aurora Regino.
“Parents have a God-given right and duty to protect their children from this state-sponsored malpractice,” LaMalfa said. “The fact that Chico Unified would support a guidance counselor making this decision in a matter of minutes is appalling; the fact that they are arguing in court that they had a right to actively exclude a parent from this conversation while simultaneously publicly declaring this life changing decision to all the other students and teachers is incomprehensible. My bill will put a stop to this child endangerment and school bureaucrats going behind parent’s backs to transition children.”
