evidence: Introduced by Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward and co-authored by state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, among others, Assembly Bill 1955, or AB 1955: Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act, or the SAFETY Act,was signed nearly a year after State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was forcibly removed from a Chino Valley Unified School District board meeting for opposing a proposed district policy that would require schools to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender. [...] While existing legislation mandates the state Department of Education to ensure updates are made on training resources to support LGBTQ+ students, AB 1955 will expand the requirement to include resources for the families of these students, including parents or guardians. Existing legislation also prohibits discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation in state-funded educational institutions. AB 1955 extends the protections to prohibit educational entities from enforcing any policy that may require teachers and other employees to disclose a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression without the student’s consent. It also protects employees and contractors from retaliation for supporting students.