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Roxbury School Board Ditches Trans Student Policy
By Fred J. Aun,
13 days ago
Roxbury School Board President Leo Coakley Credits: TAPinto Roxbury file photo
ROXBURY, NJ – As was expected, the Roxbury School Board on Monday rescinded a policy that spelled out how schools should handle students who consider themselves transgender.
After hearing impassioned pleas from people on both sides of the issue, the board voted to abolish Policy 5756.
The second-reading vote followed a similar first-reading vote that took place March 25 with four board members of the 10-person board voting against the resolution to remove the policy: Carol Scheneck, Edwin Botero, Brian Staples and board President Leo Coakley.
In moving to rescind the policy, adopted in 2019 to comply with state Department of Education (DOE) guidelines, Roxbury joins about 10 other districts in the state.
Opponents of the policy assert it is superfluous, contending existing anti-discrimination laws sufficiently protect students. They also balk at the way the policy empowers educators to keep parents in the dark about the behavior of their children when it comes to expressing gender identity.
The policy states students can decide whether they’re male or female and said the district “shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required.”
It also states students “need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements” to have their chosen gender “recognized and respected” by the district, had to allow students to use the restrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities of their choice and to participate in activities, including sports, “in a manner consistent with their gender identity.”
Coakley, in explaining why he did not want the policy rescinded, agreed with Scheneck’s argument: Roxbury should wait to see how the courts rule on pending cases involving other districts that abolished Policy 5756.
He also said the policy merely reflected the state DOE guidance. “Nothing is really going to be different tomorrow,” he said. “The same state guidance is still there, and I believe we cannot divert from that without running into trouble with the law even though that (guidance) is not a law.”
None of the board members who voted to abolish the policy spoke at Monday's meeting.
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