Advocates for Faith & Freedom, alongside co-counsel California Justice Center, are representing Chino Valley Unified School District in defense of its parental notification policy, which requires schools to inform parents when a student seeks to socially transition at school. The policy was enjoined by a California court following a challenge by the State. In light of the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which recognized that withholding such information from parents likely violates constitutional protections, we have filed a motion to dissolve that injunction. The case now turns on whether the court will lift the injunction and restore the District’s ability to inform parents consistent with controlling federal law.
CALIFORNIA COURT RESTORES PARENTAL RIGHTS IN CHINO VALLEY, LIMITING STATE SECRECY POLICIES
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, California — In an important victory for parental rights, a California court today granted in part and denied in part Chino Valley Unified School District’s motion to dissolve the permanent injunction restricting its parental notification policy.
The court affirmed that parents who want to receive information concerning their own children that would otherwise be withheld under their school district’s policies have the right to receive that information.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom, alongside co-counsel California Justice Center, represents Chino Valley Unified School District in its defense of parental notification and parents’ constitutional right to direct the care and upbringing of their children.
“This is an important step forward for parents,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation with Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Parents should not have to wonder whether a public school is withholding significant information about their own child. Today’s ruling recognizes that parents who want this information have a right to receive it. The State cannot simply shut parents out of decisions involving the welfare and mental health of their children.”
The case began after California Attorney General Rob Bonta challenged Chino Valley Unified School District’s parental notification policy, which required school personnel to notify parents when a student requested to be treated as a gender different from his or her biological sex, including requests involving names, pronouns, or access to sex-segregated facilities and programs. A permanent injunction entered in October 2024 prohibited enforcement of the gender identity-specific portions of that policy.
The legal landscape changed significantly following the United States Supreme Court’s 2026 decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta. The Supreme Court recognized that policies excluding parents from information concerning a child’s gender transition at school likely violate parents’ constitutional rights, including their right to participate in decisions concerning their children’s upbringing, education, and mental health.
Following Mirabelli, the Ninth Circuit also prohibited enforcement of key provisions of AB 1955 against parents who affirmatively sought information concerning their own children.
In response to those developments, Chino Valley Unified School District asked the court to dissolve the permanent injunction, arguing that the injunction could no longer be reconciled with controlling federal constitutional law.
Today, the court granted that motion in part.
Under the ruling, a parent who affirmatively wants to be informed of information concerning his or her child that might otherwise be withheld has the right to receive it.
The District is now evaluating how best to implement the ruling.
“This case has always been about a basic principle: parents are the primary caretakers of their children, not the government,” Mersino added. “Today’s ruling moves California closer to respecting that constitutional reality. We will continue working to ensure that parents are not forced to surrender their rights simply because their children enter the public-school classroom.”
Additional developments are expected as the District considers its next steps and the precise implementation of the court’s ruling.
###
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT MOVES TO RESTOREPARENTAL RIGHTS AFTER SUPREME COURT REBUKE OFCALIFORNIA SECRECY POLICIES
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, California — Advocates for Faith & Freedom, together with California Justice Center, has filed a motion on behalf of the Chino Valley Unified School District to dissolve a court injunction that blocked its parental notification policy.
The motion follows a landmark ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which held that policies preventing parental notification regarding a child’s gender identity or social transition likely violate the Constitution.
In light of this decision, the District is asking the court to dissolve the October 3, 2024 permanent injunction that prohibited enforcement of its parental notification policy.
“This is a defining moment for parental rights in America,” said Robert Tyler, President and Chief Counsel of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The Supreme Court has made clear that parents are not to be sidelined in the most important decisions affecting their children. Government policies that hide critical information from parents are not only wrong, they are unconstitutional. Courts must now bring their rulings into alignment with that truth.”
“Chino Valley is now in the impossible position of being subject to two conflicting permanent injunctions—one from the Mirabelli case requiring Chino to notify parents if their child asks to change their gender and the other from AG Bonta’s 2023 case against Chino that prohibits Chino’s parental notification policy,” said Emily Rae, President of California Justice Center. “We filed this suit with Advocates for Faith & Freedom to ensure that Chino has clarity moving forward and to stand up for the rights of Chino Valley parents.”
The District’s policy, adopted in July 2023, required schools to notify parents when a student requested to be treated as a gender different from their biological sex, including changes to name, pronouns, or access to facilities.
That policy was enjoined following litigation brought by the State of California. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli represents a material change in controlling law, directly undermining the legal foundation of the injunction.
The motion argues that continued enforcement of the injunction would place the District in direct conflict with federal constitutional protections and require conduct that infringes on the rights of parents.
A hearing is scheduled for August 19, 2026, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino.
###
About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
EMAIL INFO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM TO RECEIVE PRESS RELEASES. ALSO, JOIN US ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON OUR PROGRESS IN THIS CASE AND OTHERS.
###