Holmdel BOE rescinds policy geared at protecting transgender students

HOLMDEL – The Board of Education voted to officially rescind its transgender policy, also known as policy #5756, on Wednesday night.

Board members Peter Reddy, Terence Wall, John Buckley, Christian DiMare and Jeffrey Mann voted to rescind the policy. While board members Surekha Collur, Kimberly Tuccillo and Linda Zhang voted against rescinding the policy and board member Eileen Briamonte abstained from voting.

Policy #5756 outlines specific ways in which schools can create a “safe and supportive environment” for transgender students and avoid harassment, intimidation or bullying.

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It includes guidelines on sports participation for transgender and gender nonconforming students and how schools should approach bathroom and locker room requests such as accommodating requests to use a single unisex bathroom like the nurse’s restroom.

The policy states, “there is no affirmative duty for any school district staff member to notify a student’s parent of the student’s gender identity or expression.”

Holmdel joins a handful of school districts that include Middletown, Marlboro, Manalapan-Englishtown and Colts Neck that have either voted to change or repeal its transgender policy. The Middletown, Marlboro and Manalapan-Englishtown school districts are currently being sued by the state Attorney General’s office, which argued that the new policies violate the state’s Law Against Discrimination.

What did the board members say?

DiMare, who voted to repeal the policy, said, “With the policy or not, we have a proven track record of creating a safe, supporting inclusive environment, especially for our transgender students, but (also) for all students.”

He said students can continue to go to the school’s counselors for any issues “as their first point of contract, but I’m a strong believer that, in the end, parental involvement is key.”

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Zhang said she was against repealing the policy without another improved policy to place it.

“I don’t think we’re ready to abolish this policy,” she said.

After the vote, Collur proposed that the Board’s policy team meet on Thursday, Nov. 2 to look into a replacement policy. She said she wants the proposed replacement policy to be presented to the Board’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8 and voted on during the next two Regular Business meetings on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13, so that a new policy would be in place by the end of the year.

Before the vote, Collur said she believed that there is a way to unite the people who are running under the banner of parental rights and the people who fear for the safety of transgender students who live with unsupportive parents.

“I think a lot of this is just misconception,” Collur said, stating that the school is not lying to parents, keeping secrets from them or advocating and indoctrinating children to transition to another gender. She said there’s a misconception that minors could go on hormone therapy or get surgery without parental consent.

She said even for impressionable students who are “confused,” “they need an adult to talk to and if they could talk to their parents, they would talk to them.”

She said under the current policy, students who are questioning their gender identity would be directed to the school’s counselors. After meetings, the counselors eventually bridged the gap between the students and their parents.

“The misconception here is that if there is no adult in school for the child to go to, … they would somehow fix themselves or tell the parent,” Collur said. “But that may not happen all the time. If they could tell the parent, they would have said it already. But to fix themselves, even that period of confusion, shame and guilt that they have been suffering for a few years, we can save them that, by having an adult that they can share them with.”

She said for students who know that they are transgender, “Life is not easy for a transgender kid.”

She said, “If those kids don’t have a safe adult to go to and they don’t tell their parents right away for whatever reason, then they just suffer in shame and guilt (during) their formative years. And then those years are wasted.”

Collur said she believes a compromise could be achieved that does not require immediate parental notification or prolonged periods of no parental involvement.

Who’s on the ballot?

The terms of board members Reddy, Zhang and Briamonte end this year. Reddy is the only board member seeking reelection.

Three candidates under the slogan “Parental Rights & Education” had previously spoken during public comments against Policy #5756 stating that parents need to know if their children are questioning their gender identity. The three candidates are Alison LoPresti, Anthony Libecci and Reham Taha.

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Alicia Unusan, a mom with two children in the school district, said she is running as a write-in candidate along with Mathew Weisfeld.

During public comments, Unusan said Policy #5756 takes “a child-center approach and provides the district with a procedure the district can follow.”

She said the policy takes into account the child’s safety, but also allows for a possible bridge to notify parents.

“Think about the message you’re sending to the students who are part of an already marginalized student community,” Unusan said.

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Holmdel schools rescinds transgender policy