The hearing follows an announcement earlier this week, that the Department of Justice is investigating four California school districts, including San Francisco Unified School District, over instructional materials and policies related to…
Bay Area schools were again at the forefront of a national debate over parental rights and LGBTQ+ issues Wednesday as Congressional Republicans questioned San Francisco’s schools chief on transgender student policies, ethnic studies and how much say parents should have over classroom instruction.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su — who was suffering from laryngitis — faced nearly three hours of congressional scrutiny over her district’s handling of transgender student policies and ethnic studies. Under questioning, she asserted that instruction in her district is age appropriate and aligned with state standards.
She was one of three school leaders from across the country to testify during the GOP-led House education subcommittee hearing titled “Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools. ” The hearing follows an announcement earlier this week that the Department of Justice is investigating four California school districts, including San Francisco Unified School District, over instructional materials and policies related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
Three other Monterey County school districts — Graves Elementary School District, Santa Rita Union School District and Soledad Unified School District — are also under review. The DOJ said the review will examine whether, and to what extent, the districts have notified parents of their right to opt their children out of instruction on “sexual orientation and gender ideology.
” Su said Wednesday that while parental rights are important, students and teachers need safe and welcoming schools — especially in a city known as “a pioneer in LGBTQ rights. ” “SFUSD does not seek to direct students’ personal beliefs, identities or family values. Our role is educational,” Su said in her opening remarks.
“While families may not always agree with us on every issue, every parent shares the same basic expectation that their child will be safe, respected and supported. ” Su, who has served as San Francisco’s superintendent since October 2024, avoided the sharpest criticism from committee members Wednesday, which was primarily directed at Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King and Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence, of Virginia, for their school policies surrounding transgender students’ use of school bathrooms and locker rooms.
But she was routinely asked by committee members about San Francisco Unified’s ethnic studies curriculum and transgender policies as well as parental involvement on academic policies. She was firm in her responses, even as Republican lawmakers accused San Francisco Unified of pushing political and gender ideology, indoctrinating students and forcing teachers to lie to parents.
“In San Francisco, we welcome all of our students as they are. We believe firmly that when we allow students to come in and truly be themselves, we are able to teach our students and support our students to be thriving adults,” Su said in response to a lawmaker asking her if she believed not using a student’s preferred pronoun is morally equivalent with physical assault.
Su reaffirmed the district’s commitment to its 49,000 students, 125 schools and 9,000 staff members as well as its responsibility to follow state and federal laws when addressing parental notice, student safety and access to facilities. She said parents are allowed to opt out of sexual health education, use district complaint procedures and request information about teacher qualifications. When asked about California’s controversial parental notification policy, which was signed by Gov.
Gavin Newsom in 2024 and prohibits schools from forcing teachers to “out” nonbinary students to their parents, Su reiterated that the district has adjusted its practices to align with a recentof their child’s gender identity. The hearing quickly became combative, with committee members using their five minutes of questioning to trade jabs about federal policy, assert opinions about education issues and attack one another — including, at times, the witnesses.
Republican lawmakers frequently expressed gratitude that they themselves, and their children, did not attend the witnesses’ schools.
“Thank goodness for school choice,” said Rep. Burgess Owens, a Republican from Utah, to the witnesses.
“My suggestion is that this is not your thing. need to find something else to do because you’re not helping our kids. You’re failing our kids. ” “You are extremely weak, pathetic and thank God my children didn’t go to your school,” Rep.
Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, told Spence. Republican members criticized districts’ test scores and literacy rates, which they argued were due to school policies focused on sidelining parents and “advancing radical gender ideologies,” while Democrats pointed to the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding, teacher training and dismantling of the Department of Education.
Democrats argued Wednesday’s hearing was an attempt to scare district leaders from liberal communities into compliance with the Trump administration’s policies on LGBTQ+ issues and further attack public education.
“I’m disappointed that the majority has once again decided to ignore the concerns of parents and instead to focus on divisive culture wars with the hope of scoring cheap political points,” said Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a Democrat from Virginia. “This is part and parcel of the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans’ track record for putting political games before proper governance and using divisive, hateful rhetoric to distract from their attacks on public education.
”two years after Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel was called to testify in a congressional hearing over her handling of alleged antisemitic incidents and pro-Palestinian protests in the district. San Francisco Parents Coalition, a nonprofit representing more than 10,000 public school families across the district, voiced support for Su in a letter sent to Congress, arguing the hearing comes at a time when the district is making meaningful progress under her leadership.
The coalition said under Su’s leadership, the district has adopted stronger academic materials, improved communication with families and maintained a clear focus on student success. The coalition urged federal policymakers to use hearings to help schools recover from the pandemic’s academic disruption and ensure every child has access to a high-quality education.
“Important work remains to continue improving outcomes for all San Francisco students. But we believe the role of federal policymakers should be to support that work,” the coalition said.
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