The Orange County Board of Education will join a legal challenge to a new California law that prevents school districts from requiring school officials to notify parents if their child’s gender identity may have changed, dubbed “parental notification” policies.

Spearheaded by Trustee Jorge Valdes, the board unanimously approved a resolution on Wednesday, Aug. 7, iterating its opposition to the new law, AB 1955. And it also kicks off a lawsuit to challenge it.

The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, requires the California Department of Education to develop or streamline resources that schools can use to support LGBTQ+ students and their families, including affinity clubs, safe spaces, antibullying and harassment policies and counseling services.

But it also targets parental notification policies, which dictate how school employees may disclose information related to a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression without the student’s consent. Multiple districts across Southern California, including in Orange County, have enacted some forms of parental notification policies.