Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo backed Assembly Bill 1955, a law allowing schools to hide critical information from parents. The U.S. Supreme Court has now blocked its enforcement.
Parents should never be the last to know what is happening in their own child’s life.
Yet, that is exactly what Sacramento made law.
Last year, the California Legislature passed AB 1955, a bill that restricted schools from informing parents if their child began identifying as a different gender at school. The policy forced teachers and administrators into a position where they could be required to keep deeply personal information from a child’s own mother or father.
My opponent, Pilar Schiavo, voted “yes.”
That vote helped pass a law that sidelined parents and empowered the government to keep families in the dark about critical issues affecting their own children.
As a mother, I find that completely unacceptable.
Parents are not outsiders in their child’s life. We are their first teachers, their protectors, and the people who will walk beside them through life’s most difficult moments. When a child is struggling, asking questions, or navigating something deeply personal, the answer should never be to cut parents out of the conversation.
But that is exactly what AB 1955 attempted to do — and Assemblywoman Schiavo supported it. Thankfully, the Supreme Court stepped in.
Earlier this month, the court issued a 6-3 decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta allowing a lower court injunction to stand that blocks enforcement of the most controversial provisions of AB 1955. The ruling recognized serious constitutional concerns and conflicts with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects parents’ rights to access information about their children in school.
In simple terms, the courts recognized that schools cannot hide critical information from parents.
Why did Sacramento do this in the first place?
Why did politicians vote for a law that treated parents like they could not be trusted with their own children?
Assemblywoman Schiavo had the opportunity to stand with parents. She chose instead to stand with Sacramento’s political agenda.
Let me be clear about something important. Every child deserves compassion, dignity, support and the truth. Our schools must always be places where students feel safe and respected.
But protecting children should never require pushing parents aside. Parents are not the problem. Parents are the foundation of a child’s life. When schools hide information from families, they don’t protect students — they isolate them from the people who love them most.
Strong families build strong communities. Strong communities build a strong California.
If elected to the Assembly, I will fight to restore transparency and common sense to California’s education policies. That means ensuring parents are fully informed about their children’s well-being and rejecting policies that treat mothers and fathers like obstacles.
California families are already facing enormous challenges — rising costs, struggling schools, and communities that too often feel ignored by Sacramento.
The last thing parents need is a government that believes it knows their children better than they do.
The Supreme Court has taken an important step toward restoring parental rights. Now Sacramento needs leaders who will stand with families from the start.
As a mother, I will always stand with parents. And I will always fight for our kids.
Elizabeth Wong Ahlers
Santa Clarita