AB 1955 still statewide — Ninth Circuit pauses key ‘no mandatory outing’ clauses for seven plaintiff parents
California’s SAFETY Act (AB 1955) still forbids districts from requiring parental disclosure of a pupil’s SOGI without pupil consent. After Mirabelli, the Ninth Circuit (18 Jun 2026) entered a limited injunction covering named parent plaintiffs only — not a statewide strike-down.
Why this lean: Mild right (+20): reports both the parent-side limited injunction and the statewide-still-in-force fact. Overclaiming a statewide strike-down would push lean higher than sourcing supports — and would be false.
Lean score (−100 far left to +100 far right; 0 = centre) reflects how this article frames the issue — language emphasis and narrative tilt — not a verdict on truth. Data-first pieces with balanced sources trend toward centre. Disclosed for transparency; not a ranking of correctness.
Lean score (−100 far left to +100 far right; 0 = centre) reflects how this article frames the issue — language emphasis and narrative tilt — not a verdict on truth. Data-first pieces with balanced sources trend toward centre. Disclosed for transparency; not a ranking of correctness.
California’s AB 1955 (SAFETY Act, 2024) generally prohibits school districts from adopting policies that require employees to disclose a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression without the pupil’s consent (Cal. Educ. Code §§220.3(a), 220.5(a) as described in court and firm summaries). On 18 June 2026, after Mirabelli, the Ninth Circuit entered a limited preliminary injunction in City of Huntington Beach v. Newsom as to named parent plaintiffs.
ACLU SoCal and Equality California are right on the geography: the Act remains in effect statewide; the injunction covers specific parents, not every district overnight.
Citizen impact: Most California families still live under AB 1955’s ban on mandatory parental-notification policies. Seven named parent plaintiffs have a preliminary constitutional carve-out tied to Mirabelli’s parental-rights logic on gender-dysphoria information. Overclaiming a statewide knockout is false.
What the panel reasoned
AALRR’s alert and the CourtListener/RECAP PDF of the Ninth Circuit order describe panel reasoning that AB 1955 forbids mandatory parental-access policies that Mirabelli says the Constitution requires for objecting parents regarding gender-dysphoria information. Litigation continues; no final merits judgment statewide.
Counter-claims
Equality California and ACLU of Southern California: the law protects LGBTQ students from forced outing and educator retaliation; Mirabelli itself noted schools may withhold from parents who would engage in abuse. Those are the stated inclusion/safety rationales — report them beside the parent-rights injunction.
Bottom line
Companion to Mirabelli: interim parental carve-outs are real; AB 1955’s statewide default remains until a broader final judgment says otherwise.
On 2 March 2026 the Supreme Court vacated a Ninth Circuit stay as to parents in Mirabelli v. Bonta — Free Exercise and Due Process parental-rights theories. Emphasize: interim emergency relief, not a final nationwide ban on all student-privacy policies.
Short balance piece: Foote v. Ludlow (First Circuit 18 Feb 2025) affirmed dismissal of parents’ Due Process claim over school social transition without notice. SCOTUS denied cert 20 Apr 2026 — leaving a circuit contrast with Mirabelli’s interim parental win.
Mahmoud v. Taylor (27 Jun 2025) required notice and opt-outs for Montgomery County’s LGBTQ-inclusive elementary storybooks. A Feb 2026 permanent injunction and reported $1.5M settlement closed the district chapter — the Free Exercise precedent travels.
A Southern District of California order dated 14 September 2026 approved a $175,000 settlement in S.E. v. Grey, vacated the May 2025 preliminary injunction, and dismissed the case with prejudice — after Encinitas Union School District had already rewritten notice-and-opt-out rules in the shadow of Mahmoud v. Taylor.
