In a tremendous victory for parental rights, a California school district reached a $100,000 settlement with a mother who alleged that her daughter was “socially transitioned” to a boy without her consent.
Jessica Konen’s 11-year-old daughter, Alicia, was convinced by two teachers at her school within the Spreckels Union School District, located in Monterey County, that she was experiencing feelings of distress because she had not yet discovered who she “truly was inside.” Then, the school permitted her to utilize the boys’ restroom, referred to her using male pronouns, and facilitated a “social transition.”
After publicly complaining about the two teachers at a school board meeting, police officers showed up at her door and informed Konen that a complaint had been filed with Child Protective Services over her alleged mis-treatment of her daughter. Although the complaint was eventually dismissed, the incident left Konen feeling deeply unsettled.
Konen initiated legal action against the district for social transitioning her daughter at school, without her consent or approval. Subsequently, her daughter chose to revert back to identifying as a girl, and the single mother pledged to persist in advocating for parental rights following the resolution. She was represented by the Center for American Liberty during the settlement process.
“They need to understand their place, and they need to stay in their place,” Konen told Fox News. “And schools nowadays, they’re awful. So, I’m going to fight this fight and keep fighting this fight.”
Now Konen is urging parents to pay attention and ask questions. “You don’t know what they’re teaching in schools anymore,” she said. “Just be active in your kid’s lives and don’t be scared to speak up.”
“At its core, this case is about upholding the sacred bond between parents and their children,” said Mark Trammell, Executive Director of the Center for American Liberty. “Parents have an inherent right to be involved in pivotal decisions concerning their children’s lives.”
While this victory is certainly worth celebrating, the battle for parental rights in education is far from over. Just days prior to the settlement, California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District over a recent policy mandating teachers to inform parents when their child expresses a desire to identify as the opposite gender.
He claimed that the policy places transgender students at risk of irreparable harm, arguing that it could potentially expose them to the danger from their own parents.
In reality, the safest course of action for a child experiencing gender dysphoria is to notify his or her parents as soon as possible.
CVUSD President Sonja Shaw responded to the lawsuit, saying, “Once again this is government overreach and the political cartel of Bonta, Newsom and Thurmond is using their muscle and taxpayers dollars to shut parents out of their children’s lives. We again had to learn first hand from reporters of their lawsuit. Bonta can’t even cite a law we are breaking in the documents and I find it a joke.”
Hopefully, Bonta’s lawsuit fails to prevent CVUSD from protecting parents rights and sets a precedent for all other schools that want to adopt similar policies. No parent should have to endure the heartbreaking experience that Jessica Konen did. Her story should serve as a lesson to all parents– pay close attention to who is influencing your children at school.
