California teachers have filed an emergency appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court after an appeals court panel reinstated policies requiring teachers to hide students’ gender identities from their parents.

“Right now, California’s parental deception scheme is keeping families in the dark and causing irreparable harm. That’s why we’re asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene immediately,” Paul Jonna, a partner at LiMandri & Jonna LLP and special counsel for the Thomas More Society, said in a statement Thursday.

“The state is inserting itself unconstitutionally between parents and children, forcing schools to deceive families, and punishing teachers who tell the truth,” he added.

The Thomas More Society sued on behalf of teachers in the state who feared punishment if they refused to lie about a student’s gender identity. Parents and other teachers joined the lawsuit, challenging the Escondido Union School District’s policy hiding students’ gender identities from parents unless students consented to reveal them.

The teachers also sued the California Department of Education, which has a similar policy.

While a district court judge issued a permanent injunction blocking the schools from enforcing gender secrecy policies, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted the school district and the state a stay of the injunction Monday.

Also on Monday, Jonna said his team would “seek en banc rehearing before the full Ninth Circuit and simultaneously pursue review by........

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