Parents have right to raise their kids

Parents having the right to raise their own children is a basic principle that should not be up for debate. As a mother of four, it is something that I know is my right and up until recently, I have taken for granted as foundational.

I don't presume to know how to best raise your children, but I do my very best to provide a loving and nurturing environment for my own.

As an elected Trustee for the Newport Mesa Unified School District, I take seriously this basic principle of parents having the right and the primary duty of raising their children in the way they see fit.

For over 150 years, parents in California expected that they have the right to provide for the care and custody of their children, absent extraordinary circumstances of child abuse or neglect. The assumption was always in favor of parents, not against them. But now, our state's top law officer, Attorney General Bonta is asking our courts to flip the presumption.

Last month, Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Chino Valley School District because they passed a policy that among other things, required their schools to inform parents if their child asks to change their gender at school — changes are already publicly known to other students, staff, teachers, and even volunteering parents at school. The judge granted a temporary restraining order against the parental notification policy, while acknowledging that most parents are in fact, “kind and loving”.

So, let's talk about what this is really all about, which is California legislators taking further control away from parents' ability to raise their children while giving more power to the state.

It's troubling that the path these lawmakers chose is regarding transgender students because these students are in fact more vulnerable and more prone to suicide. Making the conversation a parents vs. children debate is not helping them. Yes, these students do have greater mental health challenges, are at greater risk of suicide and have been shown to have the best outcomes when parents are involved.If most parents are in fact “kind and loving,” let's treat them as such.

Let's create less laws and frivolous lawsuits to take away their rights. Until recently, I believed we could send our children to school without worrying that government policies would purposefully teach our kids that their parents cannot be trusted and that secrets should be kept from family.

It's doubly unfortunate that when I introduced an updated Parental Rights and Responsibilities policy for the Newport Mesa Unified School District last month, it not only failed, 4-3, but recent politics intruded on what once would have been considered obvious.

The updated policy would have required NMUSD schools to notify parents if their child is injured at school; a school employee suspects or learns of their child's suicidal intentions; if their child is being bullied; or if their child asks to change their gender. Though I had support from Trustees Lisa Pearson and Krista Weigand, my proposal failed 4-3.

I applaud school districts who supported families enough to pass their own notification policies. Especially over the posturing of two potential candidates for governor in 2026, Attorney General Bonta and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Thurmond.

Those against keeping parents informed are wrong, and there is plenty of legal precedent that contradicts their assertions. But if courts adopt final judgments assuming the worst in parents and the best in government, then those decisions will have disastrous ramifications for parents throughout the state.

I will not waiver from my commitment to parents. You are the primary caregivers of your children. They are not my children, nor are they the school district's children. They are your children. Let's stand together to work with our children's teachers as we work to provide kind and loving care for our own children.