A class-action lawsuit stemming from gender identity policies at an Escondido middle school could be heading to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Two Escondido Union School District teachers first sued the State of California in 2023 over district policies that required them to use pronouns or gender-specific names requested by students, while keeping that information private from others, including parents, and violating their constitutional free speech and religious rights, they said.
California law dictates that schools cannot have policies requiring employees to disclose a student's gender identity to any other person without their consent.
A San Diego federal judge ruled in favor of the teachers in December. On Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that injunction. Attorneys for the teachers said they filed an emergency appeal Thursday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the district judge's ruling.
In a statement, a spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “We look forward to continuing to make our case in court.”
