An effort to stop the transgender law from taking effect this January is currently underway.

If signed by the required number of registered voters and timely filed with the Secretary of State, this petition will place on the statewide ballot a challenge to a state law previously approved by the Legislature and the Governor, according the the California Secretary of State.

The law had some parents in the community concerned enough to approach Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joseph Farley about its implementation.

“Students who are transgender must identify as the other gender, and exhibit that consistently. You can’t come to school one day and say you identifying as a male, then the next day a female. You have to stay consistent with that second gender over a period of time at school and at home. This would make a student eligible for transgender accommodation,” said Farley in a press conference with The Express.

The law would permit elementary/secondary school students to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with the student’s gender identification.

If the initiative gets 504,760 signatures, it will be place on the November ballot for voters to decide. The law must then be approved by a majority of voters at the next statewide election to go into effect.

In the mean time, CUSD officials are making sure that every school has at least one unisex bathroom. The main issue some students, parents, and some staff may have with this change, is P.E. and locker rooms.

“Our main goal for all of our students is to make each and every one of them successful, whatever it takes,” said Farley. “If anything, I think the students will be more accommodating than anyone else. I think parents will probably freak out a little bit, but I’m sure students will be more accepting of their peers. I know once parents start to get used to the idea they will be OK with this transition.”

When asked about the possibility of parents pulling their children out of the CUSD schools, Farley said, “Some parents have told me that they will, and I think most of that comes from the unknown and the fear of that. And again, I think students will be fine with any of the accommodations that we make.”