Southern California School District Ordered to Inform Parents Before Adding Gender Topics to Buddy Program

Defendants argued that parents have no fundamental right to control the information disseminated by public schools.

Children's books on gender in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 7, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A federal court issued an order on May 12 barring a California school district from including gender identity topics in its elementary school buddy program, unless parents are provided with advance notice and an opportunity to opt out.

The issue relates to “an educational activity at odds with Plaintiffs’ religious beliefs,” the May 12 order issued by U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz reads. The plaintiffs in the case are two fifth-grade male students, referred to as P.D. and S.E. in court documents, studying at La Costa Heights Elementary School in the Encinitas Union School District, and their parents.