California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law Monday prohibiting schools from informing parents when students change their pronouns in school. The Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act also imposes responsibilities on the State Department of Education to develop resources to “increase support for LGBTQ pupils.”

According to the California legislature’s LGBTQ caucus, the SAFETY Act is necessary to prevent school boards from outing the gender identity of students. In July 2023 several schools passed so-called “forced outing” policies, which required teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender. The SAFETY Act bans that practice, standardizing the obligations of teachers across California. The bill enjoyed broad support from LGBTQ groups as well as the California Teachers Association, a large teachers union in the state.

Though the SAFETY Act enjoyed support in California’s legislature, it is not without its critics. The California Policy Center, a think tank generally critical of California’s Democratic government, suggested that the law amounts to an unfair infringement on parental rights. They claim that, “while it is certainly prudent to protect the privacy of a child from the public… children do not have a right to privacy that transcends their parents’ well-established rights.”

In response to this sort of worry, proponents of the law have argue that parental rights need not require teachers inform parents about their children. Instead, they write, a student’s gender identity “is generally a matter to be discussed between the child and their parents in the … manner chosen by the family.”

New Law Prohibits Forced Outing Policies in Schools to Keep Students Safe

The Support Academic Futures & Educators for Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act was signed into law today, reinforcing California’s commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, regardless of gender identity. Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) and the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus introduced the legislation, AB 1955, in response to policies in several school districts that have sought to forcibly expel students.

“Politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender, nonbinary, and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise nationwide, including in California,” said Assemblymember Ward. “While some school districts have adopted policies to forcibly out students, the SAFETY Act ensures that discussions about gender identity remain a private matter within the family. As a parent, I urge all parents to talk to their children, listen to them, and love them unconditionally for who they are.”

Since 2023, over a dozen school districts have proposed or implemented policies requiring teachers to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender or requests to be identified by a different name or pronoun at school. These policies have significantly impacted the mental health of LGBTQ+ students and can lead to instances of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

The SAFETY Act addresses these issues by:

• Prohibiting school districts from enacting forced outing policies.
• Providing resources for parents and students to manage conversations about gender and identity privately.
• Protecting teachers and school staff from retaliation if they refuse to forcibly out a student.

Since 2020, eight states have enacted laws mandating school staff to forcibly out transgender students, while five others have passed legislation encouraging such actions. California is the first state to explicitly prohibit forced outing policies in schools.

Despite homes not always being safe for transgender youth, schools should be a sanctuary. According to a 2024 Trevor Project survey, less than 40% of transgender and nonbinary youth find their homes to be LGBTQ-affirming. Conversely, more than half of transgender and nonbinary young people reported that their schools are gender-affirming, which correlates with lower suicide attempt rates.

The SAFETY Act is a step forward in ensuring that all students, regardless of their gender identity, have a supportive and safe environment to learn and grow.

“Today is a great day for California,” said California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Susan Eggman. “With the Governor’s signature on AB 1955, a first-in-the-nation policy, reaffirms California’s position as a leader and safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth everywhere. I am incredibly proud of our LGBTQ Caucus, and Assemblymember Ward in particular, for their leadership on this life-saving legislation. I am also deeply grateful for all the parents, teachers, youth, LGBTQ+ leaders, and so many other groups who came together to support this bill. Their support reaffirmed what this caucus already knew: Safe and supportive schools for all our children should be our top priority. And at the end of the day, that’s what this bill does: it ensures our K-12 campuses remain safe and affirming places for our youth no matter how they identify.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A software error affecting a California lottery game is prompting lotto officials to boost the prize pool by hundreds of thousands of dollars in the coming days, leading to potentially bigger jackpot wins. 

On Monday, the California Lottery said it recently discovered the glitch which affected machines selling Daily Derby tickets.

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As part of the game, players select two sets of three numbers: the first represents three horses to finish in first, second, and third places. The second set of numbers represents a winning race time.

The software error was limited, according to lottery officials, who said it affected two specific kinds of ticket machines and had an impact on players who used the “quick pick” option. That option allows the gaming system to select the numbers for players.

“The machines affected by the error produced Quick Pick tickets with numbers only in ascending order. The software issue also affected the race time number selections in some cases, with numbers only being printed on tickets in ascending order and with no repeating digits,” officials explained.

They also said the software issue was corrected within 24 hours of its discovery and stressed that no other state lottery games were affected.

Because of the error and as a promotion, the California lottery said that starting Tuesday, the Daily Derby overall prize will be boosted by $100,000 each day for 12 days. 

“This means winners at any prize level will have the opportunity to win bigger prizes than they would without the promotion,” officials said. “If the grand prize is not won during the promotional period, the money added to the grand prize will remain in the pot until someone wins the top prize.”