Two Christian teachers in California were punished for believing vital information about students should be shared with their own parents. The teachers were only reinstated by a federal judge after taking legal action; they were punished for opposing the district’s policy of not informing parents when a child opted to change their gender identity in class.
The educators, Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, sued the California board of education on the grounds that “deceiving” a child’s guardian violated their religious beliefs.
A presentation given to the educators in February 2023 instructed teachers to uncritically accept a “student’s assertion of their gender identity and begin to treat the student immediately, consistently with that gender identity.”
The educators, Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, sued the California board of education on the grounds that “deceiving” a child’s guardian violated their religious beliefs.
Judge Robert Benitez ruled in favor of the teachers, noting that the district’s policy of hiding gender-identity changes from parents violated the Fourteenth Amendment. “It harms plaintiffs who are compelled to violate the parent’s rights by forcing plaintiffs to conceal information they feel is critical for the welfare of their students,” the justice wrote in his ruling.
“The student’s assertion is enough,” read a transcript of the presentation obtained by Fox News Digital. “There is no need for a formal declaration. There’s no requirement for parent or caretaker agreement or even for knowledge for us to begin treating that student consistent with their gender identity.” The presentation also reportedly warned teachers that failure to go along with a student’s wishes could be discriminatory and constitute a violation of district policies.
The teachers had originally been granted religious accommodations for using personal pronouns, but were forced to abide by the district’s policy of not notifying parents of pronoun or gender identification changes.
