Trans Student Policy Comes Under Fire In Central Regional School District

BERKELEY, NJ — A motion to remove a policy protecting transgender students failed at the latest Central Regional Board of Education meeting.

The vote was 4-4, which meant it failed.

That vote came after nearly an hour of public discussion, where two opponents to the policy spoke and many more spoke in its favor.

Policy 5756, also known as "Transgender Student Guidance for School Districts," guides districts to accept a student’s gender identity and school staff are not required to notify parents of a student’s change in gender identity or expression.

"It is unethical, dangerous and a gross violation of parental rights," said Shawn Hyland, a Bayville resident and director of advocacy for the New Jersey Family Policy Center, a conservative Christian organization.

Hyland urged the board to repeal the policy.

So did parent Kimberly Bruner.

"Policy 5756 has been deeply unsettling to me as a Central Regional parent for several years now, and has set a dangerous precedent for parental rights and religious liberty," Bruner said.

The policy "decisively attacks the parent-child relationship and authority that God has given to parents to protect and direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children," she added.

Both Hyland and Bruner referenced a recent Supreme Court case that blocks a law against schools outing transgender students.

That same case was referenced by board members. Board Attorney Mark Toscano explained why it didn't pertain to the board.

"That decision is not is an affirmation of the free speech rights of staff members to disregard the preferred pronouns, preferred name or gender identity of students," Toscano said. He also noted that California's policy was different from New Jersey's policy.

The meeting featured more Policy 5756 supporters than opponents.

"Some of you may not personally agree with the policy, but as a society, we have an obligation to think about the students, and I mean all students," said Prism Club (formerly the Gender-Sexuality Alliance) co-advisor Maria Foukarakis. "We as a society should be accepting of everyone."

Fellow Prism Club co-advisor Matt Solomon agreed.

"Transgender students are already one of the most vulnerable populations in any school. This policy tells them, you belong here, you are protected, and adults will step in when there is harm, when harm happens. Removing it sends the opposite message," Solomon said.

Some of those speaking in support of transgender students were transgender themselves, while others were not.

"I am actually here tonight to encourage the board to maintain and, where possible, strengthen transgender student guidance," said Berkeley resident Larry Erickson. "Despite the fact that I'm not trans, nobody in my family is trans. In fact, as far as I know, I don't know a single trans person, but you don't have to have a personal connection in order to be aware understand what's involved."

Erickson noted the "courage" it takes to exist as a transgender person in a society that "angrily, bitterly denounces you, in fact, legally, increasingly defines you, tags you as not other, as not us."

"I encourage you, do not be deterred, do not be confused, do not be stampeded by the sort of fears, foibles and fairytales that are likely to be thrown at you in considering this entire topic, but instead to adopt some degree of the courage it takes to be transgender and to embrace what is right, what is fair, what is just and what is kind," Erickson said.