U.S. DOJ to look into SFUSD over sexual orientation, parents' rights policies (original) (raw)

The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday launched a review of San Francisco Unified School District and three districts in Monterey County to examine policies related to instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and parents' rights to opt their children out of certain lessons.

The review, announced by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, targets the Graves Elementary School District, Santa Rita Union School District and Soledad Unified School District along with SFUSD.

Federal officials said the review was launched to determine whether parents are being properly informed about lessons involving sexual orientation and gender identity and whether they are being told about their rights to opt their children out of certain instruction.

Officials with the school districts were not immediately available Tuesday to respond to the DOJ review.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department is examining whether school policies comply with recent court rulings addressing parental rights in education.

The Department of Justice said the review will also look at policies governing access to bathrooms, locker rooms and girls' sports teams based on gender identity, as well as whether the districts are complying with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding.

The review also will examine what steps, if any, the school districts have taken in response to recent court decisions involving parental rights and school policies.

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DOJ officials emphasized that the Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the districts or the issues under review.

This comes amid a growing national debate over parental rights, school curriculum and policies involving sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. California law requires public schools that provide comprehensive sexual health education to include information about sexual orientation and gender identity. State law also generally requires schools to notify parents when sex education is being taught and allows parents to opt their children out of that instruction.

On Wednesday, SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su will face the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer questions about the district's transgender and ethnic studies curricula. Su and superintendent colleagues from Chicago and Virginia's Loudon County are expected to face questions from the Republican-led panel about parental rights, inappropriate classroom content and the indoctrination of children.