OPINION: AG Bonta’s War on School Boards Could Have Dire Consequences

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District for a policy that required school personnel to notify parents if their child exhibited any mental health issues, including questioning their gender identity. Other school boards have followed Chino Valley’s lead, and Bonta has warned those boards of potential legal action in the future as well.

These new policies are clearly indicative of concerned parents and local community members who are witnessing in real time the deterioration of mental health within the students of our California schools.

In 2021, UCLA published data claiming that almost 50% of California students aged 12-17 reported experiencing some kind of mental health problems. Of course the progressives at UCLA chose to highlight the number of “gender non-conforming” minority of students who suffer from these issues, but with a percentage that high, clearly there are many more of the majority who are also suffering.

The reasons for this increase in mental health issues are likely some of the usual suspects. The proliferation and popularity of social media creates a hotbed of opportunity for bullying. That bullying can be done under the cloak of anonymity, and it does not stop at school but rather follows students home in their pockets and backpacks. Years long COVID mandates and regulations including shutting students into their rooms with little to no outside contact surely has had long lasting mental health effects that have not even begun to surface.

While these causes are important to pinpoint, doing so does not completely help solve the problem. With the safety of children on the line, the first priority is to put policies in place that can help combat and potentially alleviate mental health issues as they occur.

When it comes to the well-being of a child, in a vast majority of cases, parents are the first line of defense. At the end of the day, the parent has the final say in what is best for their child. Furthermore, it only makes sense to give individualized attention to an issue as serious as mental health. An educator or school administrator at any given time has dozens if not hundreds of children in his/her care. It is impossible to give a slipping student the care they need under those circumstances.

All of this is common sense, which is why there have been policies in place for decades when it comes to the mental health of a child. If someone suspects imminent danger or that a student might potentially hurt him/herself or others, that person is required to report it. This has been the agreed upon standard up until now. What has changed? Why do the left and AG Bonta all of a sudden fear for a child’s safety when it comes to informing a parent of gender confusion?

Since the explosion and social contagion of transgenderism hit schools, parents were warned that not affirming a child’s gender preferences and beginning the transition process would almost assuredly lead to suicidal thoughts and ideations. The statistics cited to support such a ridiculous argument are not necessarily trustworthy. A recent study by the National Institute of Health concluded that the old adage “correlation without causation” applies here. Even if there is an increase in suicidality of trans youth, it does not mean that transgenderism is causing it.

When it comes to the safety of California students, AG Bonta is using the arm of the government to circumvent the long-standing precedent of notifying a parent if a child is suffering from some mental health crisis. Bonta claims that the policy adopted by Chino Valley Unified School District is in violation of a student’s Constitutional rights. Even if that is the case, it is entirely possible that by not informing a parent of their child’s mental health issue, the problem will go unnoticed or untreated. The consequences of this are quite literally dire. However, Bonta seems to be more interested in scoring political points with his base than he is in protecting children and affirming parental rights.