The Tulare County city of Porterville would mandate its public schools to notify parents if their child requests to be identified by a gender different from their biological sex under a new proposal.
The proposal by Porterville vice mayor Ed McKervey, dubbed the Safeguarding Parental Rights in Education and Child Upbringing ordinance, would also require school officials to notify a parent if their child requests to use a different name or pronouns, or access gender-based accommodations such as locker rooms or restrooms.
The proposal also calls for a city-sponsored legal assistance fund to help parents in legal actions against school entities in violation of the ordinance.
The City Council discussed the proposal at its Tuesday meeting — two weeks after council members considered a separate ordinance aiming to ban transgender women from using publicly accessible restrooms, locker rooms or similar facilities in the city.
The proposal wades into a politically charged issued that recently played out in a Southern California school system. The Chino Valley Unified district in San Bernardino County attempted to enforce a similar policy in 2023, though a county superior court judge last September permanently blocked the district from disclosing students’ gender identities to parents.
Porterville’s ordinance would attempt to override the local control that California cedes to school districts and their school boards.
McKervey said the ordinance he proposed is about parental rights and not about gender ideology.
“We’re just trying to navigate this minefield to protect the citizens and the children and the parents in our city. Now, this thing may not be able to go forward in its current form, but it’s going to go forward in some form,” McKervey said. “I’ll guarantee you that we’re going to find a way to put this through, but we have to start thinking about this differently.”
The all-male council did not take action on the new ordinance Tuesday night.
Porterville Mayor Greg Meister said while the council doesn’t have “standing on certain things, it’s the same thing with the protect women safe spaces” ordinance he introduced.
“We can no longer be silent on these issues,” Meister said
Councilmember Raymond Beltran said the ordinance is not “trying to pick out one classification of individuals. It’s more giving rights back to the parents.”
“I don’t have any issues with anybody or what they reclassify themselves, because I have family members that are like that, and I’ve dealt with them,” Councilmember AJ Rivas said. “So, I know exactly what they’ve gone through.”
Tuesday’s meeting attracted residents from across Tulare County and neighboring Kings County. Some questioned the city’s authority and overreach of school districts to implement the ordinance.
Few spoke in support of the council’s ordinance.
Advocates of the LGBTQ+ community and opponents of the ordinance said the ordinance puts LGBTQ+ youth at risk.
President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders declaring that the U.S. government will only recognize a person’s sex assigned at birth, pulling federal funding for transgender minors’ gender affirming health care, and barring transgender people from serving opening in the military.
The proposed ordinance in Porterville, a city with about 62,000 people, would also require schools to provide parents with the school’s sexual education curriculum including any outside organizations providing instruction on sexual health.
The ordinance also prohibits public schools to distribute condoms, birth control or emergency contraception on school grounds without “explicit parental consent.”
According to the proposal, any parent whose rights have been violated under the ordinance can bring a civil action against any public school or school district, government official or employee who knowingly obstructs compliance with the ordinance.
The city’s ordinance would apply to any public, charter education institution or government-funded school operating within the city of Porterville.
Porterville Unified School District said in a statement on Wednesday that the district “has always been committed to following all applicable federal and state laws that govern public education in California.”
“Our policies and practices are designed to comply with federal regulations, the California Education Code, and other relevant state requirements while prioritizing the safety, well-being, and educational needs of all students,” the district said in a statement. “Our focus remains, as always, on our core mission of providing quality education in a supportive environment where students can thrive, maintaining appropriate communication with families, and operating our schools in accordance with federal and state law.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:18 PM.
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María G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy’s Vida en el Valle publication. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee’s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | María G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fotógrafa de la publicación Vida en el Valle de McClatchy. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el boletín semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos. Support my work with a digital subscription
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