Lawrence Hebron
for Redlands Unified School District Trustee, Area 3

Parental Notification.

A few years ago, no one would have questioned the right of—and the need for—parents to be informed about those important issues which concern their children’s welfare.  Today, “Parental Notification” has become a contentious issue, with certain individuals and groups arguing that it is wrong to notify parents about their children’s behavior, especially as it regards thoughts about their gender.  Those who argue in favor of keeping parents in the dark often cite their concern for children who may have unsupportive parents who might become abusive.  I’ve heard this argument many times.  Do you know what I have never heard?  I have never heard a single scrap of evidence to support that concern.  What are the statistics?  How many children have been seized by Child Protective Services nationwide because of parents who became abusive when confronted by their child’s gender confusion?  How many parents have been arrested for abusing their transitioning children?  Is this a real issue, or is it an ideological boogeyman conjured up to promote a particular political agenda?  I suspect the latter.

There is no doubt that there are parents who do not always do a very good job of raising their children.  Of course abuse happens.  For the most part, however, I would rather trust a parent with a child’s care than a teacher, a school administrator, a bureaucrat, or the governor.  No one is more expert on the needs of school-aged children than the parents.  We need to give the parents every opportunity to succeed in managing their children’s upbringing; and that requires sufficient, accurate, and timely information.  For all these reasons and more, I support a Parent Notification policy for our school district.