HUNTINGTON BEACH CIVIC CENTER (Orange County Tribune photo).
By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune
In another lengthy and contentious meeting, the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday grappled with controversial issues that brought out heated public comments about a proposal to forge a Sister City relationship with a city in Israel, and the final approval of an ordinance declaring Surf City to be a “Parents Right to Know City.”
After hours of public comment, the council finally voted 4-3 in favor of final approval of the “parents” ordinance with Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, Mayor ProTem Pat Burns and Councilmembers Tony Strickland and Casey McKeon in favor and Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser opposed.
The ordinance will register the city’s opposition to State Assembly Bill 1955, which prohibits public school educators from disclosing – without permission – a student’s “sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression” to any other person, including parents.
The ordinance declares Huntington Beach a “Parents Right to Know City,” and prohibits educators connected to the city “with the teaching and care of children” from withholding such information from parents.
At our deadline, the council had not yet voted on the proposal to make the Israeli city of Ramat Gan a “Sister City.” We will update this post as soon as possible.
Categories: Huntington Beach
It is the right of a parent.
Absolutely it is the parents right to know. This is a win for the protection of our children !
I’m a democrat. And this is the one issue I differ with the policies of party because I fully believe that it is the parents right to know what is going on at school prior to 18. And certainly at the doctor’s office prior to age 18.