Supreme Court backs parents in CA gender policy case

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 this week that parents challenging a California policy allowing public schools to withhold information about a student’s gender transition are likely to succeed in their constitutional claims. In its majority opinion, the Supreme Court said the state’s policies violate the First and 14th amendments. The ruling vacates a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that had paused a lower court injunction blocking the policy as it applied to parent plaintiffs. “The State argues that its policies advance a compelling interest in student safety and privacy,” the majority wrote. “But those policies cut out the primary protectors of children’s best interests: their parents.” The case, Mirabelli v. Bonta, challenges guidance that critics describe as “gender secrecy” policies, which allowed school officials to withhold information from parents about a student’s request to change