Editor’s note: This post has been updated with comment from the Office of the Attorney General and the Division on Civil Rights.
The Middletown School Board on Tuesday night adopted a controversial parent notification policy that sources said would require schools to notify parents if a gender nonconforming student wants to be addressed by an alternative name or pronoun, inquires about participating on a different sports team or wants to use a different restroom.
The amendment was to Middletown’s policy 5756, which requires districts to accept a student’s asserted gender identity without the consent of a parent. It passed by a vote of 8 to 1, with member Deborah Wright voting no after the board fielded criticism from dozens of students and other attendees crammed inside Middletown High School North library who vehemently opposed the move.
“I’m disgusted that I have to even speak at this board meeting because trans students’ rights and privacy are being put in danger,” one transgender student said. “You guys clearly don’t understand the amount of harm you are putting young trans kids in with this policy.”
Another said the updated policy would remove trans students’ right to figure themselves out.
“By outing students to their families, you are doing a huge disservice to their mental and physical well-being,” they said. “This may subject them to physical or emotional abuse from unsupportive parents. Being stripped away of the choice of when to come out is traumatizing in and of itself.”
Outside the high school, dozens of people blocked from entering after the library reached capacity held signs, chanting “Let us in” and “Protect trans kids.”
Tuesday night’s board meeting and protest come as school policies surrounding parent notification for LGBTQ+ students have sparked controversy across the state.
In addition to Middletown, the Marlboro and Manalapan-Englishtown school boards adopted similar policies on Tuesday.
In New Jersey, the Department of Education’s Transgender Student Guidance requires schools to ensure a safe and supportive environment for transgender students under state and federal law.
Recently, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin filed a lawsuit civil rights complaint against the Hanover Township Board of Education and public schools, challenging a policy passed in May requiring school staff to notify parents of their children’s gender identity and sexual orientation. Due to an injunction, the policy was never implemented, and Hanover Township has since revised it so it does not discriminate against LGBTQ students.
The Office of the Attorney General and the Division on Civil Rights are carefully reviewing the policies passed Tuesday in Middletown, Marlboro, and Manalapan, said spokeswoman Tara Oliver.
“The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination flatly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression, and we are firmly committed to taking swift action in response to any policy that violates that prohibition.”
Transgender notification policies are one of several issues involving LGBTQ students being debated by New Jersey school districts.
According to NorthJersey.com, a Westwood Regional School Board meeting became intense on Friday after LGBTQ+ students and opposing activists clashed over Pride flags that were removed from a middle school lawn, leading officials to call in law enforcement. In a letter to parents last week, district officials said Pride flags and signs would not be permitted outside of district schools.
In May, a Hamilton Township school board meeting deteriorated into a raucous debate about a book banning after a request that a publication about the LGBTQIA+ community be removed from district libraries.
During the Middletown board meeting, many participants cheered as transgender students and community allies voiced concerns, calling the amended policy “barbaric and illegal.”
“This policy is unconstitutional and unequivocally illegal,” said Elizabeth Ehret, a civil rights lawyer who took to the mic. “If you passed this, the district will be sued, and you will be putting students in harm’s way.”
But others in attendance supported the policy change.
“The LGBTQIA+ community claims to be inclusive, but they are here trying to advocate to not include parents in these decisions,” one parent said as most of the crowd booed. “They are here trying to get in students’ heads and convince them that their parents are not safe.”
Michele Collins, a parent in the K-12 district of 9,000 plus students, warned board members of the impact of their decision after the vote passed.
“Each of you are aware that LGBTQIA+ youth are at the highest risk of suicide,” she said. “You will have blood on your hands should a trans student takes their life because of this.”
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Deion Johnson may be reached at djohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Instagram at @DeionRJohnson or Twitter @DeionRJohhnson
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