The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun an investigation into four California school districts over concerns that the districts are forcing gender ideology and sex education classes on children without parental consent and failing to enforce Title IX.
The investigation, conducted by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, examines whether or not parental rights options are implemented by the Graves Elementary School District, the San Francisco Unified School District, the Santa Rita Union School District, and the Soledad Unified School District.
According to the DOJ, California law requires sex-education classes to provide instruction in sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI). Though parents are supposed to be given the chance to opt their children out of “all or part of” sex-education classes, the San Francisco district has reportedly told its teachers that parents do not need to be notified or give permission for their children to learn about SOGI topics.
The DOJ has also raised concerns that “SOGI topics appear to be embedded in California’s social studies and history classes” and has questioned whether school districts are enforcing access to single-sex spaces based on actual sex rather than gender identity.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, stated that the DOJ “will not tolerate local school authorities trampling on the rights of parents concerning the education of their children.”
She cited two recent Supreme Court cases — Mahmoud and Mirabelli — which upheld parents’ rights to opt their children out of sexual education classes and be informed if their child is “transitioning” at school. According to Dhillon, the two cases have warned all school districts that “policies that keep parents in the dark about sexuality and gender ideology in the classroom must end now.”