Credit: (Hannah Gross; NJ Spotlight News)Sources of conflict in New Jersey education were on stark display at a usually staid meeting of the State Board of Education this week.
Almost 100 people gave public testimony on topics including parental rights, gender identity and parental notification, as well as recent changes in the state’s education equity code. Ahead of the meeting, parental rights supporters and LGBTQ+ advocates fought to be heard over one other as they held competing rallies outside.
Battles over parental rights are taking place in multiple arenas. While the state board met Wednesday at the Department of Education in Trenton, a Morris County judge was hearing oral arguments on Hanover’s policy that allows school staff to notify parents of a change in their child’s gender identity or sexual orientation. The policy remains temporarily blocked while a lawsuit from the attorney general’s office and the Division on Civil Rights is argued in the Office of Administrative Law.
School boards in Middletown, Manalapan and Marlboro also filed appeals in similar cases, according to Marlboro Board of Education Vice President Jacqueline Tobacco. A Monmouth County judge recently ruled that those three school districts cannot implement their amended policies on transgender students while litigation is ongoing.
Big focus on equity code
Three times a year, members of the State Board listen to open-topic public testimony; people can speak for five minutes on any educational topic of their choice. On Wednesday, people spoke about parental rights, gender identity and parental notification, many of them urging board members to reverse recent changes to the equity code.
The code, which was first adopted in 2003, was created to make sure all students, regardless of race, gender, disability or other aspects of identity, have equal access to educational activities and programs. The recent changes replaced the word “equality” with “equity” and include more gender-neutral language. The code also now requires school districts that separate students during sex education to do so based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
Andrew Mulvihill, the State Board’s vice president, said the board’s attorney will advise whether it has the authority to reopen the equity code for review ahead of the board’s next meeting on Oct. 4. The board voted 6-5 to approve the code in August.
Competing rallies
Participants in the rallies were loud. From one side came shouts of “LGBTQ+ students deserve safe schools,” from the other, “All students deserve safe schools.” Other chants included “Inclusion equals safety” and “Don’t keep secrets from parents.”
Credit: (Hannah Gross; NJ Spotlight News)Members of NJStandsUp were among those advocating for parental rights. Co-leader Hilary Jersey said they were protesting the changes to the equity code, particularly the switch from focusing on equality to equity.
Schools should not allow transgender girls to use girls’ bathrooms, Jersey said, and instead should have separate facilities for transgender girls. The most recent version of the equity code does not include changes to policies governing the use of bathrooms and locker rooms. In New Jersey schools, students are to be provided separate restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender, according to the code.
‘A lot of the other side has similar concerns that we do, like the safety of children, trust between parents and their kids, healthy school environments.’ — A Pollicino, transgender educator
Jersey said that NJStandsUp’s goal is to protect all children and give them the opportunity to thrive, a sentiment that was expressed on both sides of the issue.
A Pollicino, a transgender educator from Trenton, said they were there to advocate for gender-diverse students. Pollicino said they grew up in a “Don’t say gay environment” in Long Island, New York and didn’t learn about their identity until their thirties.
“Going through the K-12 schools not knowing my identity, it was really challenging. I would just like to share my personal story and show that we do have common ground,” Pollicino said. “A lot of the other side has similar concerns that we do, like the safety of children, trust between parents and their kids, healthy school environments.”
‘We need to come to some common ground with one another and not be so angry, but listen to one another.’ — Alex Bougher, Bergen County chapter of Moms for Liberty
Pollicino is a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, where they research identity and inclusion. Their work aims to clear up misinformation and move past the political nature of the issue to help both sides find common ground and support students.
Alex Bougher, chair of the Bergen County chapter of Moms for Liberty, said she agrees with LGBTQ+ advocates who are pushing for safe schools.
“We want safe schools too. Safe schools mean parental involvement with their children, not hiding things from parents,” Bougher said. “We need to come to some common ground with one another and not be so angry, but listen to one another.”
What the board heard
Once inside, members of the public were divided into three rooms, with two or three board members in each. The board also received written testimony from members of the public who did not attend the meeting.
Seven of the 11 sitting members of the State Board listened to the testimony, which lasted for more than three hours. While most speakers addressed changes to the equity code and issues of parental rights, some speakers advocated for greater support for educational support professionals, students who are struggling with learning loss and librarians who are facing book challenges.
Many of the speakers were affiliated with parental rights groups including NJStandsUp, Moms for Liberty and Team Protect Your Children. Several speakers were members of or candidates for local school boards, for which elections are due in November.
One speaker, Elizabeth Yucis, associate director of the New Jersey Education Association, urged the State Board to be more transparent with the public comment it receives. Yucis asked the board to display all the comments made during public testimony and written comments the board receives online to improve collaboration with the public.
“We can work better together if we’re literally on the same page,” Yucis said.
