DES MOINES, IOWA (November 8, 2023) — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today joined a 23-state coalition supporting a California mother after her school district hid her daughter’s gender-transition from her, clearly violating her parental rights.
Aurora Regino, a California mother, sued the Chico Unified School District for violating her constitutional rights when district officials allowed her daughter to socially transition to a boy in school without informing Regino of her daughter’s decision. The district’s flawed policy requires hiding gender-identity decisions from parents unless given permission by the student. The school’s counselor even advised the child against telling her mother that she was trying to transition.
To make matters worse, the daughter’s feeling about being a boy diminished throughout the semester, amplifying her gender-related stress and anxiety as the school continued to view and treat her as a boy. The Attorneys General are asking the Court on appeal to reverse the district court’s decision that wrongly favored the school district.
“Parents have a fundamental right to decide how their children are raised,” said AG Bird. “That doesn’t stop at the school doors. No parent should ever be left in the dark about their child’s life-altering decisions. For the school to not only let Regino’s minor daughter independently decide to change her gender, but to encourage her to keep it a secret, is a gross violation of Regino’s parental rights. And she’s not alone. We’re supporting Regino’s lawsuit to fight for parental rights in schools across the nation.”
The school district violated Regino’s longstanding and fundamental parental rights. For a century, the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause has secured parents the right to direct the care for their children. Since then, the US Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed that parental right. However, this school district and school districts across the country are adopting dangerous policies that violate parents’ rights and prevent them from helping their children make crucial decisions about their identity and mental health.
Iowa joined 22 states in the Montana-led amicus brief.
Read the full brief here.
