Facts
Who is disseminating disinformation at the LVJUSD Board Meetings?
Far-right political and religious extremists and people who do not live in Livermore or have children in Livermore schools make up the majority of those who are spreading disinformation at meetings, on social media, and in the community.
Do they represent most LVJUSD parents’ beliefs?
No. The majority of actual LVJUSD parents, teachers, and Livermore residents who support public education have consistently shown up in support of existing district programs and policies.
These extremists have used the public comment mechanism of the school board meetings to spread hate speech, disinformation campaigns, and their calls to impose their religious views on everyone. Public comment sessions have lasted so long at the board meetings that our elected officials are forced to postpone dealing with critical educational issues and policies until very late in the evening.
Is there any truth to their allegations about what is being taught?
No, they are false.
The lies spread are the same disinformation the state has seen spread in Glendale Unified School District, Temecula Unified, and at Saticoy Elementary protests in LAUSD.
Worse still, these extremists have been mocking courageous Livermore students who speak out for inclusion and tolerance at the board meetings. These students’ images have then been circulated on social media.
In the parking lot at the district office, Livermore community members have been followed to their cars and harassed after giving supportive public comments during a board meeting. This is not normal or acceptable.
Below are some claims made at board meetings and fact checks.
Parental Rights
Claim:
Our parental rights are being taken away. “We are the parents!”.
Fact:
Each year, LVJUSD informs parents of their parental rights and responsibilities under the laws that govern our district, state, and country.
Removal of any parental right or district policy affording a right, would require a legal proceeding.
LVJUSD has a Uniform Complaint Procedure Policy 1312.3 and its accompanying Regulation 1312.3, to address issues involving parental rights.
Claim:
The district should pass a bill, such as AB 1314, that would mandate that teachers notify a student’s parents if the student identifies with a gender not assigned at birth.
Fact:
AB 1314 died in committee and did not pass through the California legislature in 2023. The board cannot legally adopt the language of AB 1314 as a district policy.
On July 15, 2024 Governor Newsom signed AB 1955, The SAFETY Act, into law. It prohibits districts from enacting forced outing policies and protects school personnel from retaliation if they refuse to violate a student’s privacy about their gender identity. Resources for parents and students are also being developed by the CDE to assist vulnerable populations and their families.
School boards do not pass laws. A board may adopt a policy that relates to existing California legislation.
Currently, school boards operate under the legal advice and guidelines that protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students, including their right to privacy, according to:
CA Education Code
AB 1266
California School Boards Association (CSBA) analysis of state law
Guidance from the California State Department of Education.
Please see the links to these references below.
Additional Information
Laws pertaining to students who have changed their gender in their official record
To prevent accidental disclosure of a student’s transgender status, it is strongly recommended that schools keep records that reflect a transgender student’s birth name and assigned sex (e.g., copy of the birth certificate) apart from the student’s school records.
Schools should consider placing physical documents in a locked file cabinet in the principal’s or nurse’s office.
Laws pertaining to a student’s gender identity expressed at school
Requires that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.
A Local Educational Agency (LEA) should accept a student’s asserted gender and treat the student in a manner consistent with that student’s gender identity, especially where the student either: (1) expresses that identity at school or (2) where there is other evidence that this is a sincerely held part of the student’s core identity.
If either criterion is met, then a school may not question the student’s asserted gender identity except in the rare circumstance where school personnel have a credible basis for believing that the student is making that assertion for some improper purpose.
Schools cannot require a student to provide any particular type of diagnosis, proof of medical treatment or meet an age requirement as a condition to receiving the protections afforded under California’s anti-discrimination statutes.
Books
Claim:
Students should not have access to sexually explicit books. Examples given at board meetings are Queer by Kathy Belge & Mark Bieschke and the book Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe.
Parents should have the power to remove such books from school libraries.
Fact:
The US Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas. School officials may not exercise their discretion to remove books from a school library based on “narrowly partisan or political” grounds, because doing so would amount to an “official suppression of ideas.”
A student’s First Amendment rights include the right to access books and information. This is a profound right, as expressed in the letter Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta sent to all California school leaders, outlining the protections to school libraries under the First Amendment and the duty to provide an inclusive curriculum.
LVJUSD Board Policy 1312.2 and its accompanying Regulation 1312.2, provide a complaint mechanism regarding the content or use of any specific instructional material.
Health Education
Claim:
Teachers should not be teaching students about gender identity.
Fact:
Classroom instruction is determined by the school board and the California State Department of Education. K-12 health courses have standards of instruction that are outlined in detail. One of the objectives of the CA Healthy Youth Act is to “provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family.”
Additional Information
Laws pertaining to classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation
“Instruction shall affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships and couples, must be inclusive of same-sex relationships. It must also teach students about gender, gender expression, and gender identity and explore the harm of negative gender stereotypes. This means that schools must teach about all sexual orientations and what being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) means.”
Pride Month
Claim:
Pride Month promotes body mutilation and sexual activity.
Fact:
From the United States Census Bureau:
“The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.”
On June 13, 2023 the LVJUSD Board passed RESOLUTION NO. 084 – 22/23, which states, “Locally and nationally, June is recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. In keeping with our focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, Resolution No. 084-22/23 has been prepared to proclaim June 2023 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.”
Additional Information
From the Library of Congress:
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.”
CA Standards Aligned Curriculum & Instructional Materials
Claim:
Teachers are indoctrinating and grooming our children by teaching LGBTQ+ curriculum.
Fact:
Classroom instructional lessons are based on the state-adopted curriculum standards and objectives outlined by the school district and the California State Department of Education.
The FAIR Education Act (also known as SB 48) was signed into law in 2011. It requires that California public schools provide Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful representations of our diverse ethnic and cultural population in the K-12 grade history and social studies curriculum.
The FAIR Education Act is found in the Education Code (section 51204.5). It prescribes the inclusion of the contributions of various groups in the history of California and the United States. This includes the study of the roles and contributions of both men and women, Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, European Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, persons with disabilities, and members of other ethnic and cultural groups to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.
Claim:
LVJUSD is focused on teaching gender identity and sexuality instead of teaching reading, writing, and math.
Fact:
All grade levels in LVJUSD provide a curriculum which follows the state content standards defined by the California Department of Education (CDE).
California is working to ensure that every classroom is a safe learning environment and every student has access to the information they need to grow into a healthy adult.
California’s Health Education Initiatives - Health Education Framework (CA Dept of Education)
Sex education is not taught to young children. By law, topics taught must be age appropriate for the typical capacities of the age group. Students learn about changes that happen during puberty in grade 5. They receive sex education, including STD/HIV prevention, in grades 7 and 9 as set forth in the CA Healthy Youth Act.
Parents/guardians must request in writing that their child not participate in the above instruction (passive consent, or “opt-out”)
Additional Information
LVJUSD has a Curriculum and Instruction Department responsible for selecting curriculum and instructional materials, course development and approval, professional development, and assessment.
How can I help?
Share, vote, engage!
Share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Learn more about LVJUSD Policies.
Spread the word that LVJUSD, like all public school districts in the state of California, is following the laws and policies governing public education curriculum requirements and students’ and parents’/guardians’ rights.
Recognize our school board and superintendent as dedicated parents and community members who are committed to protecting every child’s right to learn in a safe, inclusive environment.
Write to LVJUSD School Board supporting the above facts and students’ rights.
