Toms River Schools Prepare Policy For Transgender Students

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- Transgender students in the Toms River Regional School District will be able to be identified by the name and gender they identify with rather than the gender they were born with under a policy that was introduced at the Toms River Board of Education meeting last week.

The policy is similar to one being adopted by other school districts in the state as districts look to address the needs of transgender students at a time when awareness of transgender individuals is growing. Districts across the state also are looking to put some guidance in place in the wake of situations such as one that drew widespread attention last year when a Middletown Township student who was born male fought for the right to attend school as a girl. It eventually accommodated the student at an alternative school.

The Toms River policy says it will accept a student’s assertion of gender identity and expression provided a parent signs a letter stating the student does not conform to the gender he or she was born into, according to the document in the school board agenda packet.

The policy also says the district will address each student’s needs individually with regard to school-related issues from the name and pronoun to be used and the gender identification in the student’s records, to the student’s access to locker rooms, restrooms, physical education classes, sports and other school programs.

“The district will take reasonable measures to accommodate the needs of transgender student in accordance with federal and state regulations,” the policy states.

Toms River joins a growing list of districts that are putting policies for transgender and non-conforming gender students in place. The Princeton school district approved its policy the same week Toms River introduced its policy, according to a Newsworks.org report. Jackson Township has a transgender policy in place, as do Rumson-Fair Haven and Ocean Township in Monmouth County.

The Princeton policy is slightly different from the policy many districts -- including Toms River -- are choosing. Princeton’s policy will allow students who have not discussed the matter with their parents to have their transgender status protected from being revealed to their parents, while at the same time encouraging those students to have that conversation with their parents, according to a report in the Princeton Packet.

In Toms River, in situations where a student asserts a different gender identity but the parent does not support that, the policy provides for a meeting to discuss the issues.