Judge ends lawsuit against Conejo Valley Unified School District's sex education curriculum
A judge recently ended a lawsuit from two parents trying to stop Conejo Valley Unified School District's sexual education curriculum, saying that neither family has standing to sue.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry J. Walsh issued the ruling sustaining the district's objections on Nov. 30, over a year after parents Carrie Burgert and Steve Schneider, founder of conservative parents' rights group Conejo Alert, filed the suit.
Walsh's ruling does not allow the plaintiffs to further amend their complaint. Burgert's children are no longer students in the district, according to court documents, and Schneider's child is in fifth grade, still a year and a half out from the seventh grade start of the Teen Talk curriculum.
Scott Street, one of the parents' attorneys, indicated in a statement Thursday that the group doesn't consider the matter over.
"We were disappointed to receive this ruling, which is clearly contrary to the law, and look forward to litigating the case on appeal and beyond," Street wrote.
Schneider said in a phone interview Thursday that he has "full faith" in his attorneys and in the support of Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids, or PERK, a Newbury Park-based advocacy nonprofit that has backed the suit.
Conejo Unified Superintendent Mark McLaughlin said in a text message on Wednesday that the district expected the ruling and that it is "unfortunate" that the suit took up district funds and staff time.
Schneider and Burgert's original complaint asked the judge to prohibit the district from using the Teen Talk curriculum — chosen by the school district in 2021 over vocal protests from some community members — as well as a confidential questionnaire that asks students to identify their gender and personal pronouns separately from sex designated at birth.
Previous coverage: Conejo Unified pushes against misinformation as 'Teen Talk' curriculum protest continues
The complaint asserted that the district approved the curriculum "arbitrarily and capriciously" and didn't properly notify parents about the curriculum or survey.
McLaughlin said in a text that the district is confident the curriculum meets the requirements of state law. The company behind Teen Talk told the district in spring 2021 that the curriculum was used by over 24% of California districts.
Walsh's ruling also said the complaint fails to specify what statutes the Teen Talk curriculum violates, but does not address the confidential survey.
"As an admittedly gratuitous comment, Plaintiffs' remedy is at the ballot box, and to elect a school board that agrees with their objections to Teen Talk," Walsh wrote.
Conejo Valley Unified's nonpartisan school board has been at the center of a political tug-of-war for several years.
In the build-up to the November 2022 election, Schneider's Conejo Alert backed a trio of conservative candidates trying to take control of the board with Teen Talk square in its crosshairs. All three candidates were defeated.
Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Judge ends suit against Conejo Valley Unified's sex education
