Capistrano Unified School District voted against enacting a parental notification policy Wednesday night, the first Orange County school district to outright deny such a proposal.
As it was written, the Capistrano Unified parental notification policy focused on mental health, saying a designated school counselor would notify a student’s family “when they have reasonable cause to believe that doing so will avert a clear and present danger to the health, safety or welfare” of students.
But after being asked for clarification by the student board member during the discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 18, Trustee Lisa Davis said that gender identity would also require notification to parents under the umbrella of this policy.
The board voted 4-2 to reject the policy, with Davis and Judy Bullockus the two yes votes.
The policy was first presented by Davis during the board’s September board meeting. Then, Davis said, “This policy brings parents into the conversation regarding some of the most important aspects of a child’s life.”
The proposed policy was written with verbatim language that was used in the approved parental notification policy at Placentia-Yorba Linda School District.
Capistrano Unified’s proposed policy said: “Due to the current nationwide mental health crisis exacerbated by the global pandemic, the Capistrano Unified School District recognizes the need for frequent, ongoing and oftentimes immediate communication between school administration, staff, and parents/guardians. Furthermore, with reports of depression, anxiety and suicide rates at an all-time high among public school students, action is needed to address this emerging crisis and support the health and welfare of district students.”
Andrew Fredriksz, a previous school counselor at Capistrano Unified, said that he is against the policy in a letter sent to Board President Krista Castellanos earlier this week.
“While parent rights are extremely important and they…
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