Transgender Laws in Effect in Our Schools

At the beginning of this school year, Jeanne Ribbon of Howell Township gave a staff development on bullying. It was filled with the acronyms so prevalent in bureaucracy as well as the reinforcement of the “same O “chain of command when dealing with a case. There was nothing new in my opinion. The second half of the workshop dealt with Governor Murphy’s laws initiated to help transgender children assimilate in school. Now that was another story.

This is Murphy’s Law and therefore it exists in every school district in New Jersey. Some of the content of this law has been questioned by parents and therefore I am sure you know that transgender children can try out for a team based on “they’s” believed gender. I am sure you realize that “they” can dress in the same locker room as their teammates if "they” desire. A teacher must use the chosen name and pronoun of a transgender child. There is more in that law defining special bathrooms, dress codes and a plethora of other rules teachers and coaches must follow.

At this point, it is necessary to call attention to something most people have missed. I cannot quote verbatim, but I can paraphrase quite accurately, this part of the workshop. The speaker informs the teachers in the room that they are not allowed to inform the parents of the transgender child what is occurring in school. If this paraphrase is not perfect, I am close; If the child is a Joseph, who now feels “they” are a Josephine, when you call home, use the name Joseph. I listened to the transcript of the meeting a while ago and every so often that portion of Murphy’s Law haunted me. How do you NOT tell a parent that this child is gender confused and needs guidance to get past the traumas associated with this confusion. I know my sister has a transgender child and her recognition of the needs of that child helped the entire family. I wondered why Governor Murphy is so distrustful of parents that he has applied HIPPA standards to minor children. I wonder if legally, he can do it. I wonder why committees of parents were not formed to help put these practices in place without offending or ignoring people questioning the impact of these laws on all students.

Now is the time for parents to work with teachers, administrators and even Governor Murphy to make sure we are doing the right thing for all children in New Jersey Schools. We should examine mitigations that will unite all parents in New Jersey and will be right for all our wonderful children.

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