PicoBlog

Last month, Westwood (Bergen County) stepped up as one of the 20 districts that eliminated Trans Policy 5756, which requires the schools to develop a confidentially plan with the students that could potentially keep vital information from parents and require teachers/school staff to lie to parents. Policy 5756 is not a mandated policy by law and a few districts never adopted it in the first place. Dropping this policy does not prevent transgender children from using the bathroom/locker room of their choice, nor does it prevent boys playing in girl’s sports. The elimination of this policy will also not stop teachers from using preferred pronouns for students who request it. Schools should be as transparent as possible with parents and should never keep secrets.

Jamie is speaking in this BOE meeting and she has shared this speech with you so that you also can bring this up to your BOE.

I stand before you, not just as a concerned parent, but as an advocate for the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, the 6th, 9th and 14th Amendments unequivocally affirm our right to direct the upbringing, education and care of our minor children. This is not merely a preference. It is a constitutional guarantee, a bedrock of our society. I am here to express a profound concern of Policy 5756. A concern that is very the very essence of parental rights and is under attack. It alarms me as it should alarm all of us, that there is existing growing trend where the state and by extension of our school district seem to overstep encroaching upon our sacred role as parents.

This is not just an overreach.It is a dangerous precedent. Consider the current practice in our schools. We receive calls for the most mundane manners… if our child is sick, late, absent, or had a mishap on the playground. Yet when it comes to issues of significant and sensitive nature, like changes in a minor's gender, there is a troubling silence. This silence, this withholding of vital information from parents is not only unacceptable.

It is potential grounds for legal action. Take a look at the ongoing lawsuits in Cherry Hill and Cranford to recognize the gravity of this issue. Both are currently being sued by parents in federal courts. Let us talk about Policy 5756. It is crucial to understand that this policy is not a law. Not a mandate is merely guidance.

Yet its implications are profound. Across our state, school districts are waking up to this reality. To date, 16 districts have rescinded this policy, sending a clear and resounding message to the state authorities. They are not just making a statement. They are setting a precedent. We are at a crossroads. The decision before this board is not just a bureaucratic one. It is a moral one. It is one about standing with parents, upholding our God given rights and protecting the sanctity of the family unit.

The path is clear. It is time for our district to align with those who have taken a stand. It's time to uphold our constitutional rights, to honor our role as parents, and to ensure that our voice, our fundamental right to guide our children's lives is respected and preserved.

I urge you to reflect deeply on these matters and make a decision that honors our rights, our families and our communities. Thank you.

Click on the article below to see the legal statements that explain that this policy is NOT mandated by law.

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