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Federal judge strikes down ‘gender secrecy’ policies in California public schools
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A federal judge on Monday struck down California school policies that prevent schools from revealing a student’s gender identity to their parents.
The class-action suit, filed by California teachers and parents, sought to overturn policies that barred K-12 educators from informing parents when students used names or pronouns different from those assigned at birth.
San Diego U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled in favor of two Escondido Union School District teachers, Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, who argued that their school district’s policies “flatly prohibit teachers from respecting parents’ wishes.”
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A demonstrator holds a transgender pride flag during a President’s Day protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 17, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the suit, filed in April 2023, the middle school teachers named several district officials and claimed that the district’s policies violated their constitutional and religious rights.
The California state officials named in the suit included State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the State Board of Education.
The judgment handed down by Benitez applies to all California public schools, not just the district the suit was filed in. The judge wrote in his order granting summary judgment that the California public school system placed a “communication barrier between parents and teachers.”
“Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence,” Benitez wrote. “Teachers and school staff have a federal constitutional right to accurately inform the parent or guardian of their student when the student expresses gender incongruence.”
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A transgender rights supporter takes part in a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a case on transgender health rights on Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor this summer was referenced by Benitez in his ruling. The Supreme Court’s decision granted public school parents the right to opt out of materials and discussions that are at odds with their religious beliefs.
As reported by EdSource, while Benitez’s ruling referenced guidance that the California Department of Education shared with school districts, he stated that this case is not focused on California Assembly Bill 1955, which prohibited forcing teachers from disclosing the gender identity of their students.
In response to more than a dozen California school boards adopting parental notification policies that required school staff to inform parents if a student asked to be referred to by a name or gender different from that assigned at birth, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth — known as the SAFETY Act — in 2024.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally with Harris County Democrats at the IBEW local 716 union hall on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Houston. (Karen Warren/AP Photo)
The Chicago-based conservative Catholic law firm that took the case, the Thomas More Society, issued a statement about the ruling on Monday and hailed the decision as a “landmark class-action ruling.”
“Today’s incredible victory finally, and permanently, ends California’s dangerous and unconstitutional regime of gender secrecy policies in schools,” said Paul Jonna of the Thomas More Society.
Following Benitez’s ruling, the California Legislative LGBTQ caucus issued a statement arguing that the judge’s decision “deliberately injects confusion into the public understanding” of the state’s SAFETY Act and “signals an alarming willingness to undermine long-standing constitutional rights to privacy and nondiscrimination protections across California law.”
The ACLU of Southern California criticized the ruling, writing, “This case is part of a nationwide, coordinated attack on trans people and all those who stand up for trans youth. California must remain steadfast in its commitment to supporting trans youth and we look forward to seeing state leaders stand up for trans and gender nonconforming students by promptly pursuing an appeal.”
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Attorney General Bonta also responded to Benitez’s ruling, filing a brief on Monday to stay the court’s injunction. EdSource reported that a spokesperson for Bonta said the district court misapplied the law and that the decision would eventually be reversed on appeal.
“We are committed to securing school environments that allow transgender students to safely participate as their authentic selves while recognizing the important role that parents play in students’ lives,” Bonta’s office said in a statement.
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The Idaho Transportation Department has quite a few large projects happening around the state. One of those is the replacement of the I84 interchange to Burley and Heyburn. The work began in 2024, and a new step in the progress begins this week.
There will be a number of bridge and ramp closures that will affect traffic on Interstate 84 this week while crews work. The closures will also impact access and traffic on State Highway 24, Centennial Drive, Highway 30, and State Highway 25 in the area.
Part of I84 Will Close This Week in Southern Idaho For Bridge and Ramp Work
The Idaho Transportation Department shared an update and the details of the closures today on social media. Drivers should be cautious and pay attention to signs regarding traffic changes during the closures, which are expected to last through Friday, May 15th.
Beginning on Monday evening, at 6 PM, crews closed Interstate 84 at exit 211 to work on the new bridge. Traffic in the area should use exit 211 to bypass the closure. Work should be finished by 7 AM on Tuesday, but it could still affect the morning drive for some travelers.
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On Tuesday, the Exit 211 on and off ramps will close intermittently while crews repave SH24. Centennial Drive will also close at some point during this work. The ramps will alternate closures for 6 to 8 hours, and work is expected to continue through Friday. The social media post shares suggestions on alternate routes for drivers during the closures.
Lane reductions are expected to last through June on State Highway 24. Details on the project can be found on the ITD website.
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We have to admit that we don’t understand all of these, but the ones that we do really make us question why someone would want these on their car. This isn’t even all of them – we were sent 28 pages with 25 to 30 submissions on each page of rejected personalized plates from 2025.
Gallery Credit: Credit N8 Bird
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 11, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 11 drawing
24-30-37-56-64, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 11 drawing
16-19-22-34-46, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 11 drawing
21-22-26-31, Bonus: 04
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 11 drawing
09-13-34-42-59, Powerball: 01
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 11 drawing
42-45-46-48-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The fourth time proved to be the charm for the Sky Pointe boys volleyball team.
After losing in the Class 4A state semifinals each of the last three seasons, the Eagles have made it to the final game for the first time as a member of the 4A classification.
Sky Pointe, the Sky League’s No. 1 seed, swept Desert League champion Mojave in three sets 25-22, 25-15, 25-19 Monday night at Sky Pointe in a 4A state semifinal.
“This is a team that everybody kind of underestimated. Physically we’re undersized, not a ton of our players play for big club (teams), but at the end of the day, we’re a brotherhood,” Sky Pointe coach Emma Sproule said. “This is a solid (group) of 14 (players) who work really hard day in and day out.”
Sky Pointe (21-13) will play Desert Oasis — a 27-25, 25-22, 25-16 winner over Liberty in the other state semifinal Monday — at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Sunrise Mountain High School for the 4A title.
“It feels fantastic because the last three years we made it to the semifinals. Every time, we lost in the semifinals,” Sky Pointe junior middle blocker Brad Rappleye said. “But now we finally broke the curse and made it through.”
Sky Pointe won the 2018 3A title and was the 3A runner-up in 2019. The Eagles lost in five sets last year to eventual state champion Basic in the semifinals.
On Monday, things were shaping up to be another tightly contested contest between the two league champions during a back-and-forth first set. The Eagles pulled through for the opening set win behind three consecutive kills from Tucker Jenkins to secure the set win.
Sproule said she saw the confidence of winning the first set radiate toward the rest of the match for her players.
“We told them (at the start of the year), ‘We just need you guys to be sponges and absorb all that we’re going to give you,” Sproule said. “It’s going to be a lot of information and there’s going to be a time when you need to apply it and tonight was the time to apply it.
“I’m really proud of the team that showed up tonight. The team that won was well deserved.”
Sky Pointe went on a 7-1 run in the middle of the second set to build its lead and roll to the set win. In the third set, Mojave didn’t go away, but the Eagles capitalized on several Mojave (28-10) service errors and completed the sweep in front of a packed home gym.
“We played as a team,” junior starting libero Dallas Hashimoto said. “We rarely have games where we’re all really in sync like that. It just felt really good it played out like that.”
Jenkins had 10 kills for Sky Pointe and Rappleye, who was named the 4A Sky League player of the year, added eight kills and three blocks. Kaleb Law led Mojave with 10 kills.
Sky Pointe defeated Mojave in five sets in the regular season on March 9, and the Rattlers had a two-set win in a tournament on March 28.
No. 1M Desert Oasis 3, No. 1L Liberty 0: At Desert Oasis, Jacob Wienke racked up 11 kills, eight digs and four blocks as the Diamondbacks (22-9) rolled to a 27-25, 25-22, 25-16 semifinal victory over the Patriots (20-11) after prevailing in an extended opening set.
Jaiden Alarcon added 14 assists and seven digs for Desert Oasis, and teammate Carson Lampkin had 15 digs. Desert Oasis won the 2022 4A title in its only apperance in a boys volleyball title game.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X. Review-Journal reporter Jeff Wollard contributed to this report.
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