Murrieta board defies state of California, will keep policy to tell parents about LGBTQ+ transitioning

In an interview, board member Pardue said that, early on, Superintendent Ward Andrus had advised the board to move slowly while the inevitable litigation elsewhere worked itself out. Besides, the district knew of no current situation in which a student was requesting secrecy from parents related to gender identity.

In deference to the state order, district managers had placed on Thursday's agenda an action to rescind the parent-notification policy entirely, while leaving open the door to revisit the issue later.

By this point, however, the board majority had run out of patience with its own staff as well as the state — especially after listening to a small procession of parents expressing outrage that the policy had yet to go into effect. They had learned of the delay only when the district sent out its notice about ending the policy.

Board member Julie Vandegrift proposed an amendment that affirmed the policy and called for it to take effect as soon as possible. And that was the version that passed.

At the meeting, board members Linda Lunn and Nancy Young did not explain why they voted no.

The state investigation was prompted when two teachers filed a complaint. While the state has kept their identify confidential, both have come forward to identify themselves. One of the instructors, Karen Poznanski, who teaches sixth- and seventh-graders at Dorothy McElhinney Middle School, is also a district parent with a child who is nonbinary.

"This policy, whether enforced or not, hindered our LGBTQ+ students from living authentically," Poznanski said in an email. "Moreover, it not only compromised their privacy and dignity but also perpetuated harm and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals and their families ... This is discrimination and an abuse of power in its most blatant form."

Pardue, a history teacher in another school system, cited state and constitutional provisions as supporting the board's action.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta strongly disagrees and has sued Chino Valley Unified, one of several districts that approved a version of parent notification that shared a common template. The matter is the subject of several ongoing lawsuits.

Pardue noted a preliminary ruling has allowed the policy to remain in force in nearby Temecula Valley Unified School District.

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