Freehold Township BOE repeals policy protecting privacy of transgender students
The district’s superintendent sent a letter to families stating the repeal will allow the district to internally review its policies.
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Another school district in New Jersey voted to drop a policy that put into place protections for transgender and other LGBTQ+ students. The Freehold Township School Board, in a 6-3 vote, joins other Monmouth County school districts that have already removed this policy.
The topic has been brought up in multiple school board meetings across the state, with overflowing rooms and protesters holding signs. The issue led Attorney General Matthew Platkin to file a lawsuit against several districts in Monmouth County.
Parents against the repeal say this could force students questioning their sexuality or gender to be outed to their families.
“I believe in parents’ rights, but more importantly, it is the safety of the children. Missing from this debate is the voices of the students. Repealing the policy removes an extra layer of protection for the students. Repealing this policy does not change state law,” said one parent at the meeting who is against the policy repeal.
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Others argue parents have the right to know if their child wants to change gender.
“Most of these kids don’t even have clinical or deep-seated dysphoria. Rather it is born out of social contagion, online influence, and now our local schools if not stopped,” said another parent.
The district’s superintendent sent a letter to families on Wednesday stating that this decision does not mean the forced outing of students – rather the district will now internally review its policies on supporting and protecting transgender youths.
“I am not about abolishing this policy because I want to further a political agenda. I want to remove the ambiguity, I want to remove the divisiveness so that this school board can get back to educating our students, which is what we are here to do,” said school board president Michelle Lambert during Tuesday night’s meeting.
