##VIDEO ID:h-_HMkEQnJY## Mr to yes Mr beel Patel Mr Rano here miss Pang here miss white here Mr Schneider here Mr rivara Mr vichel Patel Miss Anan Patel here Mr Lugo here we have a quorum thank you Mr to opening statement yes sir in accordance with the open public meetings ACT public law 1975 c231 Sunshine Law the Edison Township Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date time and place thereof posted in the Board of Education Administrative Office copies of these notices were sent to the home News Tribune and the Star Ledger Mr to yes I will now uh read the adjournment to priv privileged session to discuss confidential uh employee matters and confidential student matters litigation also Mr T I'm sorry and litigation also pending litigation in accordance with njsa Section 10 col 4-12 the Edison Township Board of Education adjourns the confidential session for the purpose of of discussing the following pending litigation student matters confidential personal and board matters do I have a motion motion second all in favor I I I at this time we'll be getting going to the Clos session I prise around 7715 thank you all to order we will reconvene to open session motion to reconvene to open session time is now 7:08 motion Mr Schneider second second Mr Rivera all in favor I I right thank you we'll Recon to open session now uh first thing on the agenda we have is a presentation of our assessment data Mrs goer and Mr Cohan good evening Board of Education president barl Patel Vice President Joe Romano Dr alderi we're here today uh for many different reasons but for me and Mr Cohen here we're here to talk about our assessment results from the past year the first thing we wanted to talk about is the picture of our district it is changing and one of the things we wanted to point out is that Although our enrollment only increased 500 over one year there are some significant changes our economically disadvantaged students uh increased by about 5% in one year which is almost about, students and the same is the case as you go down another interesting uh fact about our te ins and tea outs this is the number of children that are going out and into our district each year which also amounts to about 2,000 students so that means that there is a significant amount of mobility in our district at this point some schools actually have a much higher rate than that which obviously causes this average so one nice thing is that our results do reflect a steady increase in our um scores post pandemic it's been steady and little but still good and another thing that I wanted to point out is that the students tested in grade three this year were in kindergarten in 201920 which were was our Co year and then in grade one in 2021 as we know kindergarten through second grade are pivotal years for our students which is where they learn all of their foundational skills and learn how to read once students are in third through fifth grade they are reading to learn and so if we do not get those students in their kindergarten through second grade years we are functioning at a gap already despite that we are uh still trending up and we are about 16.8% overstate for meat and exceeds in ela here's a distribution of the different achievement levels My Voice vote and here are some of the subgroups the next three slides including this one are our subgroups and I am super happy to say that we have increases in exceeding for all of our subgroups for race for elementary which is a very exciting Point again uh Elementary also ex an increase and exceeding for this subgroup as well and also for program uh it was largely flat for students in special aded 504 and free and reduced at the level but this is um still a good thing for us knowing our kids were in Co at that time so some things that we've been looking at so the strengths we have still got steady growth we're 16.8% over the state we have an increase in exceeding expectations for grades 3 through six and our subgroups for race and gender increased in exceeding expectations for ELA and subgroups for all programs stayed flat or increased needs and next steps we know we have to continue looking at our multi-tiered intervention systems and we have been increasing our small group instruction and the quality of it we are also identifying students for our high-intensity uh tutoring program that has been that we received a grant for from the state and we are also hoping to use some more online platic forms at home we did change some curriculum over the summertime to address scaffolding and pacing we're continuing our phonic cohorts to build up our foundational skills at those primary levels and then we also trained our third grade teachers in phonic first in order to expand their toolkit in math we have this uh an 18% differential at the district level higher than the state and we are up and exceeding for grade four uh here again is a distribution of the achievement levels again the next three slides will address achievement levels for subgroups and at elementary we were flat or exceeding or went up with exceeding and meting the elementary increased in subgroups for program uh in the exceeding expectations range okay response to our math data is that our state our differential is um 18% higher than the state our growth in grade four was exceeding expectations and subgroups for race gender and program generally increased in exceeding expectations again we're still focusing on our multi-tiered intervention system we've also still been working on the quality of small group instruction we're going to be using those onload programs for the same things next we have science this is only tested in three grades grades 5 8 and 11 overall we're at 18% above the state in levels three and four which is meeting and exceeding in our subgroups we know that we decrease slightly in three and four it is something that we're looking at as the year goes on and the same is seen here one interesting note on this particular one for the special programs is that the meeting increased at elementary for 504 free and reduced and special education so that is definitely a plus just mentioned those strengths uh our needs and next steps is to increase Hands-On more Hands-On science experiences and make sure that we're making time for those science experiences we're considering scheduling changes for the coming year as well in order to do that the weda access testing results um relate to our multilingual learners they're tested every year it's K through 12 and uh monitors their progress in Social and academic English it's anchored in the standards that I put out by weda and their four language domains listening speaking reading and writing and there is a cut of score or 4.5 in order to exit the elll program there are the results and strength so we did exceed our goal of the number of MLS reaching the the 4.5 cfff score we've had consistent growth improved our program design and structure so we have increased our sheltered instruction training we have included high-intensity programs and we now have as you know we're into our second year of a dual language Spanish program as well and with that I'm going to hand it over to Mr Cohen all good evening uh thank you to the board and Dr Elli for the opportunity to talk about uh some of the other test scores I'm going to talk about the New Jersey graduation Prof uh proficiency assessment as well as the dlm dynamic learning Maps I did want to take an opportunity just to touch upon the secondary level of njsla I'm going to be very brief uh Miss Gomer does a great job in terms of looking at the the njsla data from a district perspective um being newer to the district I did want want to take a a little zero in look at the secondary level looking and we wanted to look at it more of just a comparison to last year look more of a little bit more of a longitudinal look of course the data only goes back three years because after three years you hit covid and we didn't want to compare to test scores before Co because that's like apples and oranges uh the story is very similar to uh I'm going the wrong direction sorry about that so the story of the data is very similar to uh the the district data of course uh just want to highlight so this is data and a lot of the data that we're putting up it's very small but we're going to post this on the website and uh via live feed tomorrow so you'll have an opportunity to kind of dive deeper and look closer at the data so tonight's really just looking at a nutshell uh up here is enrollment data for secondary and the reason why I wanted to highlight and drown home a point that Miss Gomer made already we're looking at scores that for the most part have held steady over the last year as well as the last two years when we look at the secondary level and that is in light of the fact that there's been slight increase in enrollment but also miss Gomer highlighted the point that there's a lot of transience right so for a district to Hold Steady in terms of performance in light of increased enrollment and a lot of transience and increase in economic disadvantage is actually a huge celebration I wanted to give a lot of kudos to to our our teachers our power professionals our supervisors our building Administration for holding steady in light of the added changes that come when you get increased enrollment when you have students come in and out it is always extra work and extra effort to maintain the level of performance when you have transients when you have increasing enrollment and things like that so I do want to just give a lot of kudos to our staff across the board because while holding steady is something that we would we we expect to increase we expect to improve these and we have plans in which to do that but I also wanted to to recognize that so in while in light of all this we saw a slight increase in our language arts over the last two years we saw a even nicer little bit of increase in our math over the last two years and as well in science slight increase in terms of our national our New Jersey graduation proficiency assessment uh it covers the standards for English language arts and up to grades 10 as well as algebra and GE ometry and and is now being used as a graduation pathway one of the one of the graduation Pathways uh as well we see a slight increase um one point I want to highlight here when we talk about our NJ GPA scores uh we did see a a an increase over the last two years of 15% which is definitely something to celebrate right uh the biggest jump occurred between 22 and 23 and the reason for that is in 2022 njg VA did not count for graduation and in 2023 it does start to count so you see a jump and kids taking it more seriously and for more accountability but something to highlight here uh over the last two years um students with IEPs for the most part have been Exempted from taking New Jersey uh graduation proficiency assessment uh and then Federal requirements changed and now basically all students are taking the exam we see a dramatic increase in the number of stud students in grade 12 that's a large that reflects that whenever you're you were exempting students and now all students are taking the exam and you still see holding steady or increase uh again another reason to celebrate uh these are the subgroup data again this will be posted so you'll be able to dive deeper into the subgroup data one thing to highlight and celebrate is that we did see a 5% increase in our elll students graduation Readiness uh so in terms of uh next steps needs and next steps as Miss Goomer mentioned we as a district are really dedicated to doing data driven instruction and intervention at the middle school we're adding Tools in which to do that in terms of Lexia a very high-powered adaptive uh program that all of our middle school students in language arts are are getting access to and using on a regular basis uh we're giving training for our teachers on how to use that data to support struggling students and we're adding tier two interventions which is meeting students in the classroom more consistently when we identify that they need support uh and then at the high school level we brought on a we weren't using data previously now we have a tool called linkit which will allow us to really identify students where they are their learning and progress monitor throughout the year quickly identify students that are struggling we brought on interventionist as well as a literacy coach to provide support to our teachers to address students that are struggling as well as provide timely intervention for students in language arts as well as in math uh so the story is the same in math data driven instruction and intervention training for teachers we've been able to really bolster up our number of interventionist so we thank the board for that support it's made a huge difference in our ability to help students in a timely way so that they don't fall bar behind and then in terms of our our science we brought back quarterly assessment ments uh as well as a a uh a new assessment tool called formative which allows us to collect quicker data in real time and our instructional goal for the year is to engage students in real world inquiry and and gener have them generate their own questions that they can research so it increases motivation and interest now I'll talk about the dlm testing results uh the test is for uh students that qualify with IEP uh with significant cognitive disabilities it is an online and adaptive tool and requires extensive individualized instruction in order to meet the students needs for dlm uh the data is up here again this will be posted you do see an increase from 2022 and that increase is maintained into 2024 uh and talking to Dr Tui he attributes a great deal of that increase in proficiency to some training that was provided to the staff in terms of how to gear instruction as well as assessment so that it increases student performance so the needs and next steps will be to continue that training and developing our staff with that all being said thanks and we're happy to take any questions thank you very much thank you so much uh Mr Kohan and Mrs Goomer now we will um move on to the next item in the agenda that's uh president's report that's my report usually every meeting I read reports and provide updates and everything uh respecting all of you who are here for a particular topic today one way or other I will skip my report and not speak anything and try to because I know everyone is waiting so I'll will pass it on to dry for super this report thank you board president Patel um I'm going to begin my report with uh some of the uh the pieces that are currently on the agenda as you could see um in the month of October we actually celebrated our our week of respect and uh our week of respect in SCH toools uh promotes kindness understanding uh presentations on anti-bullying initiatives um encourages students to um you know engage in pro-social behavior in a creative and supportive inclusive environment um none of that is achieved without the uh fabulous staff that we have here in Edison Township so I just wanted to commend everybody in all their efforts and the images that I saw not only on social media but on our website and some of the materials that were passed forward from our Central from our building level Administration uh for the Board of Education members I had the opportunity to attend the Edison Chamber of Commerce uh event that happened earlier in the month uh that was uh an opportunity where they celebrated uh all of the teachers of the year as well as the support staff too uh was truly a wonderful event and acknowledgement of the work that we do here in Edison Township as well as a partnership with the town and I think um I might have mentioned to a couple board members but I know that I've talked aled about this in relationship to my central office team as well too uh we really made some great connections in relationship to some of our local businesses to provide internship opportunities for our students um at our high schools and our middle schools and I think that as we continue those conversations uh it'll be a wonderful opportunity to get our students out into our community um with our residents and our business owners to provide them with real world experiences um and on the job trainings uh some other pieces that are on the agenda as well too we have our upcoming uh American Education week uh celebrates a vital role of Education in in fostering growth uh Community opportunities uh for students uh across our schools and across our nation as well too uh just a reminder for uh members in the audience uh those that are watching uh we are closed uh on Friday as well as next week um in celebration of uh dwali so happy dwali which I believe is Friday Friday perfect on November 1st uh we also have our teachers convention um as well as our up upcoming uh national elections uh I also want to take this opportunity because this board meeting is prior to um Veterans Day um as always I know I speak on behalf of the board um uh that you know we honor those who serve and protect our country so um special thank you for those uh for Veterans Day and for those uh Board of Education members as well as members of our community be on the lookout for the district newsletter The Insider the very popular Insider which will be I believe posted on November 11th when we get back uh or the week of November 11th uh this fall Edition is going to highlight uh students and some of our new staff as well too um and uh we do a wonderful job uh with our director of communications and posting that information uh as well as all of the individuals that contribute to its content uh an update to the board in relationship to Transportation which is always a hop topic um our subscription busing opened up again a I believe prior to the October I think it was October 1st oober yep just about October 1st we are currently uh adding an additional 475 subscription students that was added between 101 and 1013 uh the prior number of subscription students was 25513 which is a total of 209 2 988 um I did get a question from one of the board members on the stage asking me how how that was in comparison um from this year to last year it's actually an increase in 400 as opposed to the 200 that I thought so um congratulations to our transportation department um you know they're doing a really wonderful job in making sure that uh you know we're maximizing those seats on the bus and getting everybody uh all settled uh we do have 248 that are eligible and on the waiting list so um hopefully we're able to place them uh sooner than later and the the last component of of my speech tonight will focus on our our strategic plan um I am committed and as I've told this board too to making um portions of our board meeting especially during my speech um uh addressing the Strategic plan and the pro and the progress towards the Strategic plan and one of the things that I I I wanted to do was highlight a live dashboard that we are going to be rolling on our website during the month of November uh it will provide an opportunity for our community members our students our Board of Education members to track our progress towards our goals in our specific pillars um and where we are in relationship to achieving those goals as well as identify the artifacts documents uh things along those lines that will demonstrate our progress toward it so it's not just you know us saying hey we're you know we're 70% complete you actually see an artifact that relates to to those pieces or a narrative or or something in that in that effect one of the the pieces I always want to do is also remind us and and and our board and everybody that's part of this meeting is our mission and our vision these are new mission and vision statements that came out of our strategic plan I will be highlighting those in each and every single meeting as we focus on our students as well as the mission that we have in hand in educating them uh and I think one of the pieces too is that you can see on the dashboard we have um our homepage uh as well as a strategy page if if we can move to that and this actually tracks our progress live so we have um we have our co-chairs of each of the individual pillars Wellness uh engagement Finance uh uh portrait of a graduate as well as programs and Pathways uh this is an example of finance and infrastructure and as you could see um in some areas we are well on our way to Almost 100% completion with in those individual strategy sessions and in others we you know at this point in time we need to do a little bit of work on but the goal is to make sure that we're being transparent in achieving those goals um as you can see just a couple examples right here in relationship we've already conducted our demographic study um we're about 80% complete with our uh uh long range facilities plan and a couple of other those pieces and and as you click and kind of look on those next slides you'll be able to see an in-depth look about about um not only what the individual goal is but who's responsible for it as well so you'll be able to see uh how we're tracking this what those modific what what those uh artifacts are uh in order to make sure that we don't lose our eye on the ball and that's the completion of uh our Five-Year Plan which um I couldn't be more proud of and and appreciate the support uh of not only this board but the members of the community that have contributed towards that and in closing um that is the conclusion of my remarks thank you Dr Aly uh next is our student representatives from both the high schools first is Edison High School direct D hey everyone my name is Derek D and I'm the as High School uh student council president and since last month's meeting the main thing I have to report is a successful homecoming week uh many students participated in the spirit days we had each day with up to that Friday where we had the pep rally which went very well each fall sports team was hyped up at by the students as they walked across the track and for entertainment we had inflatable costumes and water bucket dunking on students and teachers and that night Edison football crushed South Brunswick in the homecoming game just as I predicted last week yeah and the homecoming Dan is self the next day that Saturday of course went well with over 600 students in attendance uh the next event we'll be having at the school is volleyball for charity which will be in a few weeks from now and going back to football uh Edison punched their ticket to the playoffs last Friday by beating up on parison east side and is now traveling about an hour south this Friday to take on the number two seed ran cookus Valley in round one of the postseason so make sure to come out and support um and another Edison sports news the girl soccer team just won the GMC Invitational defeating midd sex in the final round and the girls tennis team has had a great season with a record of 13 and5 and the girls volleyball team who's also having a great season just yesterday beat Timothy Christian High School and now within the school the only complaint that I've heard recently are from the seniors dealing with the stress of college applications which are due this Friday for early action and early decision and those seniors feel that their school workload should be decreased in the week before the application deadline and I think that's something I can get behind um since every student's future right now is on the line and college application should be every senior's applying to college is top priority but overall everything has gone well so far this year and as always I look forward to more Edison success thank you Derek next is um JP Stevens sanvi Pam good evening everyone my name is s b buyum and I'm one of the two presidents of the student council at johnp Stevens High School students are 2 months into the school year meaning we are completely back to our normal schedule of classes clubs and events which I will be discussing tonight JP hosted its F its annual Club Fair which proved extremely successful new clubs such as the Hawks of Wall Street biology Club Sanskrit club and seek Club allow for students of all interest to stay involved after school hours the student council has hosted our yearly freshman social where freshmen get to meet their friends mesh with students from other middle schools and enjoy many fun activities both events were a huge success in terms of Athletics I'm happy to say that the JP fall sports teams have been knocking it out of the park our football team has won their last senior night against Rosel Park High School girls volleyball won 15 of our last 18 games and also hosted their annual game in memory of former JP Stevens teacher volleyball coach and Edison High School alumni Anthony White and we crushed Edison High tomorrow will be girls volleyball senior night against South River at 5:00 p.m. at JP Stevens so make sure to come out and support and on a further note the girls volleyball team were ranked fifth in the GMC so to thank you boy soccer and girls soccer have won six games this month and girls tennis won three out of their last four games lastly I would like like to announce that this year's homecoming theme is Enchanted Garden our student council is working hard to ensure that our homecoming will be truly magical and we are looking forward to increasing our capacity to ensure as many students as possible can attend this High School Milestone event we are looking forward to homecoming and other events such as our annual talent show JPS SC talent in the future it is such a pleasure to be up here and representing JP and thank you all for your time hawks fly high oh thank you Derek and sanvi uh I appreciate all your efforts all right uh next thing on the agenda is uh public comments on resolutions uh before we go over the list of people in the signin sheet we have a tradition here to let the students go first um some students did sign up some may not have uh the one who signed up is Lauren Jean Lauren is any oh yeah sorry um so the attorney will read the disclaimer for public comments go ahead Mr Ro you have the list you want no I have the list you can just read the dis all right purum to board policy 0167 now is the time for public comment on resolution items only you have six minutes to discuss any items that are on the agenda uh for resolution and action by the board there will be a second public comment it is on the agenda for all General items um you also have six minutes for that time period so I just request that you discuss any items that are on the agenda um in this section any comments uh uh should not be profane derogatory political um State your business before the board you have to have your name and address the board will not permit uh participation without having your name and address uh for the record thank you thank you Mr Ro is there any Laurent Jean Lauren Sean so all right so um any other students in the audience last call any students are you a student okay you can go ahead pronounce your like the attorney said pronounce your name and address suppos to open it yeah okay so before you go do a motion to start public comments motion may have a motion for public comments on resolutions Mr Vishal Patel motion Mr loo second all in favor I hi none thank you okay uh you can start sir good evening distinguished board members my name is gri mat and I'm 17 years old I'm a senior in high school and I'm from the Glenrock Public School District and I identify as a lesbian I am also of Indian origin if you have been to India you know that when you get stuck in traffic on a busy road Beggars of all ages come knocking on your car windows asking you to buy their balloons candy fruits and other trinkets one particular day I was with my cousin aunt and uncle when two transgender women approached our car to ask for donations that was the first time I heard the word Hijra by definition Hijra refers to a male identifying as female or neither sex however the way I heard it used that day made the word sound like an insult and I was right about that Society hasn't always frowned upon the lgbtqia A+ Community as a whole by frowned upon I mean they have been ridiculed beaten and terrorized for example being transgender in India was actually seen as powerful when the vdas the oldest scripture in the world were written after many years years of Twisted religion culture and ongoing stigma the trans and lgbtq plus Community faces constant threats from their own families and even sometimes and sadly themselves Edison is a community with a large Indian population my family had always told me that I was going to grow out of being gay as an Indian identifying person I was always afraid of telling my extended family and I still am statistics show that only 15% of trans Indian children felt affirmed in their homes the percentage is even lower than that in the overall Community the numbers also show that 39% of Indian lgbtq individuals seriously considered suicide in the past year and 20% of trans Indian lgbtq kids attempted suicide in that same time frame whether you agree with the concept of trans or gay doesn't matter all children need to feel safe and comfortable cuz that is their right that being said while we can't always change what happens in everyone's homes we can ensure we set a positive example within the community an integral part of the community is school whether they receive support or home at not or at home or not it is the school's job to provide them with that space therefore I support the reinstatement of the transgender student guidance policy 5756 which was signed into New Jersey Law in 2017 thank you thank you any more students in the audience all right saying none uh St are and go ahead good evening hello my name is Reed Rodriguez I a resident of hackensac New Jersey and I use heem pronouns tonight I am speaking as an individual and on behalf of the transgender Community excuse me we need your address also name and address please 300 Clinton please thank you old address okay tonight I am speaking as an individual and on behalf of the transgender Community I'm here to share my experiences as a transgender masculine person during March of 2020 the start of the pandemic a war was wag inside my brain I fought battles against myself regarding social and gender conformity I wanted to forge my own path in this world so I did in seventh grade i f found myself advocating for name and gender change in school and a gender change in the school record system a gender neutral bathroom for students and the creation of a hackin sack Middle School gay trade Alliance in October of 2020 the worst year of my freaking life as long as everybody else's the efforts paid off I co-founded what I learned I co-founded what I learned was I co-founded and what I learned was only the second Middle School GSA in Bergen County was our club a county that has over 70 M municipalities for these actions I learned how to show pride in myself and others and how to become my most authentic self the policy that you were considering was sending today is not if it wasn't in place at my middle school I wouldn't have would not have been I wouldn't sorry I would not have had the basic freedoms that I did like the ability to have teachers and students address me by my chosen pronouns and write to use a bathroom of my choice the safe space where lgbtq students and their allies could gather to speak and learn I wouldn't have felt safe to explore my my place with the lgbtq family with within the lgbtq family the safety gender the safety gave me the ability to transform for and embrace my gender I am privileged enough to have a supportive family that lets me express myself in the way that I feel is right however not New Jersey is a Melting Pot of different cultures and backgrounds and not everyone is fortunate to have a family like mine they keep their gender and sexuality hidden from Friends families peers for reasons of personal safety if students are not offered these basic protections to be who they are and and it will result in the in in the outing of students the consequences will be increased bullying extreme depression homelessness Andor suicide and I will not bore you with the statistics because I know someone else will get will go over this later in this meeting now I have a question to ask the board which I know I cannot ask the board an actual question so this is a thought to land with you guys now do you want to go down in history as the first district in New Jersey to revoke an 8-year-old policy protecting TR students you know the students deserve better than that make the right choice and support your lgbtq students I support policy 5756 you uh next is stepen teach stepen teach do I have to State my name and address you have it we have it here but uh you can just mention uh Steven takach 62 Roosevelt Boulevard and I'd also like to mention that I'm an alumni here uh graduated in 2017 uh good evening to the board I would like to address uh both the board's impromptu vote to repeal policy 5756 at the last board meeting and I suppose line item 7A tonight um first I would like to address what the policy does despite the obfuscatory framing presented at the last meeting being one of potential rights or parental rights to be contacted by the school this policy does much more which I'm assuming will be mentioned by others it mandates that students be allowed to use the restrooms locker rooms and changing rooms in accordance with their gender identity it mandates that schools allow students to participate in school activities with their gender identity most importantly it mandates correct gendering and chosen name usage for students I watched all of the last meetings and none of these parts of the policy were addressed only the possibility of telling parents about what their child chooses to share about themselves at school rather than leave this policy in place which states these positions outright you all have chosen to leave it to in the words of the board attorney when asked about legal consequences by board member Romano quot the Court's theory that there is already an lad policy in place unquote but also that it quote all depends on the judge you get the board is flying in the dark about the repercussions of this repeal regarding that I want to understand where the board comes from on this issue I'm willing to believe that every one of you on stage and all of you in the audience would try your absolute hardest to support your children if they were questioning their assigned gender identity but quite frankly policy 5756 is not about you the supportive parent it is about protecting those most vulnerable from harm the policy is simple harm reduction would I like to live in a world where every child has no fear of abuse be that emotional abuse being unhoused or God forbid physically violence I would and I would assume that the rest of you would too sadly we don't live in that world we live in a world where children are abused by their family members for their identities and in a world where children will hide things from their parents for fear of Retribution are their fears unfounded in many cases I'd have to assume so I and most people in this Hall can probably say they hid things from their parents out of fear and that the fears were overreactions and unfounded but there are children who are not overreacting their fears are grounded in reality and if the repeal this policy leaves confusion around what should be done regarding uh parental notification or if the repeal of this policy is followed by a replacement policy of mandatory informing then these child then these children will be harmed I may not be a parent myself but I fully understand that it is uncomfortable being quote unquote left in the dark but this policy and policies like it are a shield for students who may be directly harmed and even one child harmed by the ill-advised repeal of this policy is one child too many lastly our I want to address the board on its own conduct last meeting's repeal was made without placement on the agenda nor any public comment held until after the motion was put to a vote I am very concerned with the board's decision to circumvent public notification and discussion from either side I assume I have made my position on policy 5756 quite clear but even those who disagree with me were not made available the knowledge of the vote nor the ability to advocate for their position in front of the board prior to the vote not only am I a gast at the board's actions but those who want the policy repealed should be too for your ability to know what is going on and speak your mind was stifled for all these reasons I respectfully request that all board members who voted in favor of the repeal of policy 5756 that being FAL Patel Shannon Pang and johana Patel Christopher Lugo and board president Baron Patel baral my apologies publicly apologize for attempting to circumvent our ability to be forewarned on the agenda or publicly discuss these matters and furthermore resign their positions at the Edison Board of Education not only for moving us towards a school district that is in my view more intolerant not just for endangering some of the most vulnerable children in this District not just for potentially leaving our School faculty in the wind legally but also for attempting to sneak this by the public in an attempt to avoid the public outcry and debate that has occurred in other school districts around the state you have shown yourselves at best as people who care more for dogmatic entitlement of parents to intrude upon and control their children's lives rather than working to ensure that the most vulnerable children of this town are safe and at worst as people who would use the children of this town as a political football thank you next is Laura Laura from Montclair hello my name is Laura hog um my address is 42 Brookfield Road in Mont Clair New Jersey I'm a gender specialist therapist with extensive experience working with and supporting trans and gender diverse youth I want to first start by saying that I am shocked and not surprised that this decision seems to have been made without the input of trans folks themselves or with Specialists who work with trans folks who can help you to decipher the pseudo science misinformation and disinformation that is being proliferated politically right now and impacting students right here in New Jersey students who have names who have families and who have to suffer the repercussions of the decisions that have been made the proposal to repeal protections for Trans students not only jeopardizes their well-being but it also disregards established findings within psychological and educational research numerous Studies have demonstrated that when trans youth experience supportive environments they show significantly lower rates of anxiety depression and suicidality that is not hyperbole that is not exaggeration that is reality I see it every day schools that Foster inclusivity contribute positively to mental health and educational engagement for Trans youth policy 5756 helps to create such an environment and repealing it would erode essential protections leaving trans and non-binary youth without the support they need and in some cases out them to unaffirmed home environments I cannot underestimate the significant damage this does this causes to young people the suicide statistics are not just numbers for me young people are dying they have names they have families they have people who mourn them it is always devastating and it is almost always preventable I strongly urge this board to uphold policy 5756 allowing it to remain intact would affirm your commitment to evidence-based practices and provide all students with the Equitable inclusive environment they deserve and the one that you have promised to provide to all students and I do want to say I've been to a lot of board meetings I show up in a lot of rooms where these kinds of things happen and I want to get in front of what I usually hear which is we respect all children we care about all of our students because that's words those aren't actions and without policies to to back up that statement you do not respect trans students you do not care for them thank you Lis welin Lis fpin okay all right good evening distinguished board members my name is radika seel actually Dr radika seel I go by Kish my students call me Dr Kish I am a clinical psychologist I live in Highland Park New Jersey and I work at rgas University so for all the people people here who are residents of Edison if your child does not get into an IV League which is the aspiration of every New Jersey parent it seems your child will be coming to roders Yes um and if your child is Indian some of them will want to see an Indian therapist and I am one of two okay actually I'm the only one there and some of their children will not want to see me because as one of them said to me after I told her to do some Puja she said you sound like my mother right so anyhow I am a clinical psychologist and I have been working with college students for 20 years or more I work with students from medison high school also who attend Rodgers and I am always struck by the resiliency of these students right they are a joy to work with and often when I sit with them I think how have you survived what you have survived right you give me hope for the future I want to disclose something personal I am an immigrant I am DIY I am Asian I am a parent a single parent and a member of the queer Community okay that informs everything I do now before folks say well of course you're going to support any kid who comes out because when I came out my mother said well you're going to a therapist of course your therapist is going to support you right that's not how therapy works for those who are misinformed we don't have an agenda I do not get a toaster oven some will get this reference which shows how old I am I do not get a toaster oven for having a child come out as gay okay I do not get anything I do get to see someone live their life authentically with joy and with pride okay so having said that when a student comes into my therapy room into my my office the way I work with them is to also help them gain an understanding of their parents and their parents' value system if they're the child of immigrants I help them understand that their parents left their home country not just for themselves but to give their children a better future and that understanding is really essential especially for the children of immigrants because the Gap is really wide so I also help them situate their parents within the context of communities that may be judgmental but are essential for an immigrant survival in this country I think you all know of what I'm talking about okay and I remind them that their parents for the most part want them to be happy get a good job and provide them with lots of grandchildren right and that grandchildren are possible even if you are a member of the lgbtq community case in point I have a child right I'm not going to give you statistics but I will tell you some stories what happens when a parent finds out that their CH child is transgender I have students who were physically emotionally and this is a trigger warning please who were physically emotionally and sexually abused by their parents upon finding that the child is transgender it pains me to say these words out loud you might think that this is not the kind of parent you are or these are not the kind of parents who are there in Edison school district but parents are everywhere parents who abuse their children If the child does not fit a narrow definition of what that child should be this physical emotional and sexual abuse Financial manipulation of the child do what we say otherwise we will kick you out or we will not pay for your college leads to suicidal ideation self Haring Behavior a lifetime of depression and anxiety and I can go on and on I'm not saying this is all parents but even if it is one parent it is one parent too many eventually for their own Survival your child will go to college and file for financial emancipation from you and will block off all connection you will lose your child and your child will lose you remember that this is a loss that goes both ways it damages and breaks Families how does this policy change that you push through keep children safe how does it help parents know that their child cannot trust anyone at school that there is no safe space for them anywhere in this world sometimes schools are literally the only safe spaces for children if the goal of this policy is to keep children safe and to not have secrets from you the parents let's talk about that how can you be the kind kind of parents who a child will trust to come and say hey Mom Dad I'm trans hey Mom Dad I'm gay what do you need to do as parents what do you need to do differently instead of relying on the school district and for teachers to break confidences do you know how many students I work with who desperately want their parents to love them and care for them and talk to them about this your mission statement is to provide a safe supportive learning environment how does this policy do that this policy change okay and this mission statement applies to all students even trans students so even if one child is harmed or bullied or abused that is one child too many thank you thank you next is Lis vpin yeah good evening my name is Louise walp and I'm I live in South Brunswick I'll be reading a letter today from Dr Connie audience please our policy requires as as I've said before the name and address we're allowed to ask it part of our rules I just ask the name and address M okay excuse me uh okay policy 167 says I just have to give him my Municipality of uh Municipality of residents and I'm really not comfortable giving a full address when it's being recorded by someone sorry good ah you can go ahe so given that I'd appreciate my time being restarted and so that I can start and just give you a Seth Brunswick address I'll give I'll give you 25 more seconds go get started now okay good evening my name is Louise wber and I'm from South Brunswick I will actually be reading a letter from Dr Connie oven um who practices in Princeton New Jersey and has seen many children from Edison New Jersey esteem Board of Education members as a South Asian American board certified child Adolescent and psychiatrist I want to urgently reach out to you to recommend that you retain transgender student guidance policy 5756 this guidance protects the lives of trans students outing these students can cause severe harm our world is very homophobic and transphobic we want schools to be a safe place for our kids coming out is a very sensitive private and individual process it takes time to come to terms with one's identity much less telling others in the community about your identity to take that choice away from trans students in a community where they will most likely face stigma discrimination and possibly abuse is inhumane and dangerous these students know the people in their lives their views and whether it's safe to tell them or not the school should not be taking their autonomy and decision-making power from these students if the students know it's going to hurt their family life or that they are going to get abused because of their identities schools should listen to the students and protect their confidentiality in my profession I treat trans individuals and most of them have had unsupportive family members and some of them have even become homeless after telling their families unfortunately our culture needs a lot of Education about lgbtq identities I feel for their students who are so afraid to tell their parents even if they desperately want to for the school to do it without their consent is unnecessarily harmful and dangerous students should be able to tell others about their sexual and gender identity on their own timeline not anyone else's according to the Trevor projects report on the mental health and well-being of Asian-American and Pacific Islanders aapi lgbtq youth only 15% of Indian lgbtq kids kids report access to affirming spaces in their homes that's 151 15% only 10% of Indian lgbtq kids report access to affirming spaces in their communities this is a really vulnerable population 39% of Indian lgbtq kids have actually seriously considered suicide in the past year and 20% of trans Indian lgbtq kids actually ATT attempted suicide in the past year 50% of these kids have selfed harmed in the past year these behaviors are highly correlated to a lack of acceptance from their family friends and Community if the school is outing these students they are increasing the likelihood of self harm and suicidality this school should be a safe place for them and instead it is throwing these students into the fire if you repeal 5756 our kids are kids only once we want to protect them the best that we can please retain transgender student policy 5756 thank you sincerely Connie illing Gavin board certified child Adolescent and adult psychiatrist thank you all right next is uh Marsha Shapiro after this it will be um Mrs con I know you'll be ready I'm just trying to make people ready go ahead miss shabir all right I'm Mara Shapiro and I'm reading a letter from K uh I live in South Brunswick uh dear Edison school board members my name is Kaya I am an indianamerican Edison resident and I vote in every election I graduated from Edison High School in 2010 and was part of the school's gay straight Alliance being a part of that group opened my eyes to the struggles my friends and classmates faced just to feel safe and accepted many of them were scared to be themselves worried that coming out would change everything the way their families treated them how their friends would react and if they loved uh and and if they would be ostracized by the people they loved and grew up with my classmates spent their days hiding pieces of who they were afraid of being outed I remember thinking that they were so quiet not knowing much about them besides their names but when they came to our club after school they were accepted for who they were and beamed with personality I learned that some of them were funny some were great athletes one could bake a black forest cake from scratch and another could do a spot on Alec Baldwin impression it showed me how important it is for adolescents to have spaces with they don't have to hide who they are especially when they're still figuring out who they are that's why I'm so disappointed to see the direction this school board is taking with a decision to repeal policy 5756 it's a step backward without real regard for the privacy and agency of the students this policy was meant to support we have reached so many milestones in lgbtq plus rights over the past last years that some of us don't remember how harsh the environment was 15 years ago it's a slippery slope and we cannot go back to stifling our students if a child is afraid to share information about themselves that's a sign that parents need to work on being safe people to open up to if your child is afraid to talk to you consider the actions you may have taken to make them feel so scared if your child does not trust you with information about themselves consider how you have broken their trust and how to rebuild it you may be able to force compliance by repealing policy 5756 but at what cost will your child want to spend the holidays with you upon reaching adulthood you can't use the school to Strongarm a healthy relationship it's not the school's role to force a child to reveal private information that they aren't ready to share this decision to repeal policy 5756 sends the wrong message about respect and Trust I hope the board rethinks this choice and puts the well-being of all students first by restoring these protections every student deserves to feel safe supported and respected and I trust that this board will help us create this environment in our schools I will be proud to vote for those who support policy 5756 in the future thank you for listening thank you Mrs con this is Conor next will be uh Sherry race Elizabeth Conway 20 Netherwood Circle Edison New Jersey 088 8 to Z sorry um I don't know I'm Elizabeth Conway though and that's who he called no you will be next I'm just announcing the next speaker's name so you can stay ready if you're somewhere in the crowd okay yeah I know I'm mixed up in another item uh tonight but I signed in when I came so I know I'm next and I wanted to make sure I had a chance to speak but I am going to change the subject because I feel that there's a a really important item that I would like to expand upon that the board has um neglected to share with the public on a regular basis and we are spending quite a bit of money on our expansion and many schools are under construction and I see we're moving in the right direction but as a taxpayer in this District I would like to know on a regular basis how everything is going I do look at the uh change orders and I see we're spending a lot more money than initially we thought of but I would like to know for instance I dried by John Adams and I see that the building is completely enclosed but that doesn't tell me is John Adams actually opened for students and what's the pro what's the process going on at JP Stevens which is a major adjustment to our district so I'd like to make a suggestion and you can take it for what you want I would like to see maybe sorry Mr to and maybe Mr Cabos Mak an um a periodic where is he okay okay if the two of you could come together between money and building and give us a periodic uh monthly um update as to what's going on with the school and what's going on with the improvements to our district I know you're very busy you have your work to do as the ba and I know Mr Cabas is very busy with the buildings and grounds and his employees but I think I would appreciate it even if it's only a 10-minute update each month at the Action meeting as to what's going on in our district so people realize this is where my money is going and I'm happy right now all I'm seeing is an adjustment and change orders thank you thank you sh Hello friends I live in Edison I have had a mortgage here for more than 25 years how many Sher race thought I said that okay hello all I'm here today because I was born in the last Millennium 5756 is really meaningful to me because my pronouns are she they I spent almost my entire life and I'm a person who really likes words waiting for the words gender and non-conforming to come together so as someone who identifies as she they who has been misgendered from the time I was a small child I knew that to protect myself in the environment of the last Millennium I couldn't be fully who I was in junior high I saw what happened in junior high to people who were not the same as everyone else I went to three different high schools each of those high schools had the same policy toward people who were different when I went to college and I came out when I was almost 19 years old I couldn't be out to anyone but myself because of the environment that there was so I have spent the most recent 40 years of my life working to make the world a better place not just for lgbtqia plus people for all people a rising tide ra raises All Ships and you can imagine my shagrin when you ushered through a change that would endanger children endanger children whose only choice is to be their authentic self now if you're an accountant and your partner's a lawyer and your child doesn't want to be an accountant or a lawyer sure you're disappointed but you get over it this is something that can affect the entire life of that person that you brought into the world or whose care you're responsible for so with that in mind I want to leave you with this quote from Maya Angelou do the best you can until you know better then when you know better do better and that's what I'm asking you to do thank you thank you Mrs Baker you're next Sona Baker ma'am uh she is next Sona Baker oh okay I will sit here hello my name is Sona Baker and I live in Edison on Grand View Avenue I am also indian-american and I also have a son who attends James Monroe Elementary School and I have a daughter who will attend Edison public schools in a few years when she's old enough so this issue is very personal to me as my kids may be very directly impacted and I am here today to speak because I think it is really just awful that policy 5756 is on the table to be repealed this policy makes our kids and our schools and our community safer all of our kids deserve a safe space to be heard and be seen as themselves of course and I think this is probably shared by all parents I hope that my children will feel that they can talk to me about anything and know that I will love them no matter what but I also know that I am their parent I am their mother it is normal for kids to not want to tell their parents everything right away if they are struggling with Identity or any other concerns that they aren't ready or simply don't want to bring to me right away I absolutely want them to have a safe space or safe adult that they can talk to at school to get the guidance that they need and whether you be it the members of the board or other parents in our community like it or not kids including aapi youth struggle with identity folks before me have shared statistics I won't repeat them but these fears particularly when children feel alone can lead to concerning outcomes like thoughts or actions of self harm I want my kids who attend Edison public schools to know that they have someone that they can speak to immediately without fear for my kids when they are ready I will absolutely be here for them I will love them in any identity but I would never ever want to force them to tell me something before they are ready or force them to be outed by a school counselor if our kids are scared that something that they tell somebody at school will be shared with their parents without their consent it is basic common sense that they will not share those things and they are less likely to ask for help I very deeply want my kids and all of our kids to have this space this safe space to turn to if they don't feel ready or able to talk to their parents this policy has been in place for years now and I am very very sad and disappointed to see it come up now in what to me seems like a very purely political fear-mongering Way by folks to gain votes without any regards for the long-term impact and effects and harm that this will have on our children I grew up in New Jersey visiting Oak Tree Road for Indian groceries and Indian food like every weekend and I moved here eight years ago specifically because I wanted my kids to grow up surrounded by the diversity of people here in Edison this policy helps hold all of those very beautiful very very diverse people safe parents do not have rights when it comes to our kids we have responsibilities and that includes keeping all of them safe in our community to flourish and Thrive as their wh selves as one of the largest towns in New Jersey Edison sets an example and a precedent for other townships so I really truly from the bottom of my heart hope that Edison keeps this policy in place to continue caring for our kids thank you uh ma'am since uh you have a small baby we'll let you go uh just let us know your name and address so I can check you off the list Rebecca tarby Edgewood Road in Edison okay you are not far away though so oh I'm sorry I thought you said my name I apologize hello president Patel Dr Al delli and the board my name is Rebecca tarby and as a proud graduate of JP Stevens current Edis resident mother of future students of Edison public schools and a current Edison educator I know I am so lucky to have had Parents teachers and mentors who instilled in me the importance of listening to those who are disenfranchised and discriminated against by the systems and policies that govern us and who taught me to stand up for the most vulnerable among us our trans and gender non-conforming youth are some of the most vulnerable members of our school system and trans folks all around the country and the world are telling us what they and trans youth need need they need a policy such as the transgender student guidance policy 5756 I heard I listened and I will not be silent as I stand by our most vulnerable if our teachers and administrators are forced by board policy to disclose and forcibly out students's gender identity and name preference to unsupportive parents and Guardians we may be condemning the students to the tangible and real risk of homelessness Financial abandonment physical and mental abuse the psychological trauma of conversion therapy and even to self harm and suicide we may not think this is possible here in our town but these atrocities have happened in all corners of our country and Beyond I learned through this District's wonderful professional development to meet students where they are develop strong relationships and the neurological reasons to make sure students feel safe and seen in our classrooms before meaningful learning can occur if students are unable to be their authentic selves in our classrooms because they do not have supportive adults at home and teachers may be forced to out them to their parents or Guardians they will not learn to their full potential and their education will suffer members of the board I implore you to either restore policy 5756 or create a new Trans supportive policy which will respect the discretion of teachers administrators mental health Prof professionals counselors and trans and gender non-conforming youth themselves to determine if sharing a student's preferred pronouns and name is safe our students's mental psychological and physical safety is at grave risk and I will not be silent in my support for our District's most vulnerable students thank you for your time thank you next is Aruna good evening members of the board my name is Aruna ra I live in Edison I'm not going to provide my address because there is a mast individual who's been filming here um since we all arrived he's also made um some threatening statements that are transphobic homophobic phobic racist xenophobic and um I would ask that why you allow children to be present here um and have this individual continue to film and uh endanger their safety so I just wanted to begin with that so I'm here today because I want to express my very strong support for retaining policy 5756 it protects transgender students in Edison schools from being outed as transgender without their consent I as I mentioned live in Edison I've been living here for 25 years I'm a parent who read my transgender child Leo Shanti heg in Edison Leo attended public schools in Edison from first grade through high school and he graduated from JB Stevens High School Leo did not come out to me as transgender when he was in school because of the pervasive transphobia which surrounded him and which continues to surround many of the trans students in this town he believed that he was the only indian-american child from Edison who was transgender and he feared that he would be punished for his trans identity by his parents if he ever came out to them through denial of funding perhaps anger shaming my husband Krishna and I were loving supportive parents but despite our best intentions we were completely ignorant about transgender identity and we mistakenly expressed sentiment and thoughts that made Leo think that being transgender was just inherently wrong the idea of having a transgender child was so outside my experience that I did not know how to create an affirming atmosphere that provided support for a transgender child I have a lot of regret that my child had to live in fear for so many years and feel alone because he didn't have the support and understanding he should have had at home with his peers with his community while I really wish that I had known and been able to support him I completely understand that he was protecting himself by coming out to his family only when he was ready he was able to maintain his agency and that's resulted in a strong and loving supportive family relationship that we have with him now when he has grown into a strong and capable adult it was only after Leo came out as transgender in college that I began my education and learning which resulted in becoming an advocate for all lgbtqi children and adults and an activist working with South Asian families of lgbtqi children I founded and I'm currently the executive director of DC rainbow parents and allies a national nonprofit organization that provides support education and advocacy for South Asian lgbtq community members and their families da rainbow has served over 2,000 people with direct support since its founding in 2020 and reached thousands with our Outreach and communication you can learn more about us at the.org I was really shocked when I found out that the Edison Board of Education attends to abolish policy 5756 I hear a lot of talk from current board members and for uh from candidates for the board about parental rights as Sono Baker just pointed out what about parental responsibilities no one is disputing a parents right to support love and provide guidance to their child nothing in this policy 575 6 prevents School staff from informing people from informing parents about their CH child's gender identity with the child's consent in the vast majority of situations parents can be very involved and supportive what I'm really concerned about is that there are some transgender children who live in unsupportive homes and their mental health and safety is in danger if they're outed we should not force School staff to knowingly put these children in danger and violate the trust that they build with their students we all want to keep children safe and must acknowledge that not all children live in homes where healthy communication happens and some transgender children are afraid of getting kicked out of their homes beaten subjected to Illegal conversion therapy or even worse in the course of my work with da rainbow I have come across all these instances um of things like this happening to trans kids and seen the impact that it has on them as they grow into adulthood the data about mental health and suicide risk have been repeated over and over again but I will repeat it again according to the CDC approximately 26% of transgender and questioning students attempted suicide in the last year according to a report on aapi lgbtq plus mental health by the Trevor Project 40% of aapi lgbtq Youth seriously considered suicide in the past year including 50% of aapi transgender and non-binary Youth more than half of aapi lgbtq Youth report that someone attempted to attempted to convince them to change the sexual orientation of gender identity the best way for a child to talk to parents about their gender identity or any other issues that are difficult to discuss is to create an open and affirming space in your family community and school allowing misinformation and Prejudice into your home will make your child fearful about coming out to you I asked the board to educate yourselves about the social and cultural Treasures these transgender children are under before you consider abolishing a policy that protects them from harm I would be glad to support this education process let's put put our Focus back on important issues to ensure that every child has access to a high quality education and the Mental Health Resources they need rather than removing protections for transgender students I also just wanted to um End by saying Happy Diwali to everybody who's going to be celebrating this week and to note that Diwali focuses on the light of knowledge which erases the darkness of ignorance and that's what I hope happens this Dali thank you next is uh C Le seagull C Le seagull from Edison Karen okay it's okay it's and the next one will be seen Boley from Hillsboro after this it's my own fault my handwriting is awful my name is Karen seagull and I live in Edison I don't have children I'm not Indian I'm not gay I'm not trans but I believe in the safety of our children and I am appalled that my tax dollars are being spent by people who don't follow their own rules and did not make the first vote public or allow public com com I am appalled I am also appalled that you would Place vulnerable children in danger and you know many people have said it better than I can but you know you're going to have to live with yourselves if you out a child and that child is killed or that child suicides it's on you if you do that and that child dies you have not protected that child and I saw your mission statement a open accepting psychologically and socially embracing environment that's not created by removing protections from these children and Outing them to their parents without their consent next is C and after this it will be CJ giovingo hi everyone uh my name is Sean Bensley I live in Hillsboro in Somerset County and I too will not give my address and I'm quite appalled by the fact that you're allowing someone who's wearing a mask that is clearly not for medical reasons to um tape or video tape AP this meeting um I know we can't take away that right but a lot of these uh videos and and photos end up on social media and people are um harassed and intimidated because of it um I'm here tonight to support transgender students and their families I'm a retired mental health professional with over 30 years of experience working with kids and families I worked in Oldbridge public schools for 20 years as an elementary school counselor and before that for about 13 years in different mental health settings policy 5756 has become a Hot Topic and there's a lot of disinformation floating around instead of having civil discussions about a highly complex issue some choose to stoke fear and pit people against each other by claiming that school staff are keeping secrets from parents which isn't true unfortunately some districts have overturned 5756 I have yet to hear though any specific ific examples from those districts of incidents stemming from the policy and I wonder why this board is considering it was there an incident or more likely what I have seen um is politically driven agenda to overturn the policy particularly groups such as by groups such as moms for Liberty and the New Jersey project both both of which have been designated as anti- government hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center 5756 was designed to protect those vulnerable students who need it not to usurp parents rights most children will never need such protection thankfully but some might kids are highly perceptive and know much more about themselves and others than we adults give them credit for many transgender and other lgbtq plus kids like straight kids realize who they are before graduating from high scho School some as early as elementary school and having been an elementary counselor I know that for a fact in my experience when students share something deeply personal with an adult at school it's usually the child's decision to do so because they trust that person not because the adult is trying to seek out information to hide from parents I don't know anyone that I worked with that did that many want to tell their parents but aren't sure how or they fear they'll upset the adults at home others simply aren't ready most will eventually tell their parents either on their own or sometimes with the help and support of a trusted adult for a small minority telling caregivers that they are anything other than straight and cisgender could result in dire consequences some of which have been pointed out by other speakers tonight sadly not all students live in nurturing homes and we can't assume that all kids have someone safely uh to safely confide in ask any of us who have worked with kids so closely as I have um to tell you stories of of kids that broke your heart we all have them as a member of the lgbtq community myself I can relate to the anxiety and hesitation a student may feel when considering coming out I'm so impressed with by the young people here tonight who have come here to speak um because at my age or at that age when I was their age I could never have done that I myself grew up here in Edison in the late 60s and 70s and early 80s I attended Stelton Thomas Jefferson and I graduated from here at Edison High in 1982 when I was younger Edison lacked the rich rich and wonderful diversity that we now see here the world then was also a much less accepting place for LGBT Q Plus people and I didn't come out until I was 31 years old that's way too long I see it as progress that most people including young people no longer wait that long because it's now sowh like somewhat safer to for people to be who they are there remains though a significant amount of misunderstanding and Prejudice um which I believe has resulted in opposition to 5756 as long as well as efforts to ban books and prevent the teach about lgbtqq plus history there's also been an increase in threats and intimidation as exemplified by our young masked man here tonight who who is taking video and again I'm appalled that you're allowing that um uh there's also been actual violence toward people in our community and some of these videos that he's taken are used to um to incite that I asked the board to retain policy 5756 and to protect vulnerable marginalized transgender students whether it's 20 students five or just one kids' lives are much more important than political or personal agendas thank you for your time thank you so CJ Gio thank you for your time time my name is CJ Jingo I use they them pronouns I live in matachin New Jersey I'm with outfront matachin a community-driven nonprofit that's devoted to advancing inclusivity and equality for lgbtqia a plus people through programs and initiatives we envision a world where Q Plus youth are empowered agents of sustainable inclusive and intersectional change I'm honored to be reading on behalf of an Edison student Alum who wish to remain anonymous dear members of the Edison Board of Education I have been made aware that there has been a preliminary vote to repeal policy 5756 which protects transgender students gender identities and privacy please reconsider this decision I am a non-binary Indian person who went through the Edison school system while I was too afraid to join any clubs for lgbtqia plus students I was still fortunate enough to have queer and transgender friends and classmates who validated my identity school was my safe place to explore my gender something I had been exploring since I was 2 to three years old my you I am 24 now and my parents still do not know I am non-binary because I know my safety will be compromised they have expressed transphobic views before saying trans and non-binary people are confused or other people can be trans but not my kids this terrifies me my heart shatters every time I am reminded that my own parents would most definitely shame me and undermine my autonomy stating things like what will other people say or why can't you just be normal they have said this about other queer kids and they have even hinted the same with me parents do not get to control their kids as if they are a direct extension of themselves kids are their own individuals with their own opinions values and identities feeling entitled to breaching a child's privacy demanding that they share every little detail about themselves with their parents is unfair and dangerous giving parents the green light to force their children into arbitrary social compliance is unfair and dangerous especially with transphobic parents who claim they just want to uphold Traditional Values by repealing this policy you are putting so many children in danger being transgender is not some abor crime or moral failure being transgender is simply Being Human and transgender people including trans children deserve the right to privacy and safety I would not be here today without the support and privacy I had in my school years I want the students after me to have this same safe environment to be themselves this is the bare minimum that they deserve you want Edison students to succeed you want want Edison Township to be a wonderful place to raise kids then make Edison schools a safe space for all kids including those who are queer and transgender let us Thrive and be respected for who we are as a whole being transgender is merely one aspect of a complex wonderful person it is not something to be ashamed of we are not confused we are sure of ourselves and proud and we are not silent please do the right thing and vote to keep policy 5756 thank you for your time you Lisa Garcia Lisa garia next one after this will be jolly L Lissa Garcia North Brunswick good evening and thank you for hearing this testimony given on behalf of Lauren albrech from uh Garden State qualities director of advocacy a previously scheduled meeting prevents me from attending in person and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share some information with you on behalf of Garden State equality for those of you who are not familiar Garden State equality is New Jersey's largest Statewide lgbtq rights organization and we are in our 20th year we have a long-standing history of successfully working with legislators from all parties on all sides of issues relevant to our lgbtq community our staff and our membership our parents Educators doctors lawyers social workers and homemakers we are from all over the state from all religions races ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds there are two things that bind us together the understanding that lgbtq rights are basic human rights and for most of us the shared experience of having been at some time lgbtq students in a public school for those of you unsure of what that means lgbtq people as a whole make up 6 to 12% of the total population it's hard to get a read on that exact number though because self-reporting often results in a loss of family employment religious affiliations and other community ties of the total population perhaps 2 to 3% identify as trans and non-binary a correlating statistic however is much more relevant to this situation of all homeless youth 40% identify as lgbtq for a population that only exists as less than 12% of the total population the disproportionate amount of homelessness of that our youth uh one more time the disproportionate amount of homelessness of our youth speaks for itself kids don't want to be turned out from their homes and away from parents and no child wants to be homeless please note that many of the people who will advocate for the keeping of this policy are trans people and the actual parents of trans children and largely the people advocating for removing it are not transgender people nor are they the parents of trans kids in short the small but vocal fraction demanding removal of this policy will never have been affected by it in any way the fact time tells you all you need to know and it's highly disturbing to see this board of education using this issue one that will only affect a very small portion of students as a tool of fear-mongering on the backs of trans kids for political gain this guidance was voluntarily adopted in 2019 by school boards across the state and has no reported negative impact one more time this guidance was voluntarily adopted in 2019 by school boards across the state and has no reported NE negative effect the guidance was written by experts and actual transgender non-binary people and accounted for facts and statistics about the safest environment for Trans kids to come out in you may hear sound bites about the mental health of lgbtq Youth and its critical to place them in context being a lgbtq person at face value does not mean you are more likely to be depressed or suicidal we see increased rates of self harm and suicidal ideation and the need for mental health support in situations where the lgbtq student has been shamed ostracized harmed alienated punished or removed from their home I would ask why any person in the room what situation in the home would lead any student to be uncomfortable telling their parent or Guardian that they are trans or non-binary when the argument is made by parents right activists that they need to know if their child is trans so they can quote unquote get them help lgbtq people are too familiar with what kind of quote unquote help that is the biggest help anyone can offer anyone else is to know that they are safe and that they are affirmed no matter what and that starts long before you put a teacher in the position of having to out a student if you already provide that kind of support you'll never have to worry either way and it is very unlikely that many of the F or it is very likely that many of the families in the room already provide that kind of environment but but unfortunately not every student has that the data are very clear and any situation that could potentially result in a student being outed in an unsafe environment is very very bad for that student and what will happen if this policy is removed here tonight knowing that they could potentially be outed by School staff is that they will tell no one there is no other agenda at play here on the part of lgbtq Advocates than doing everything possible to ensure that lgbtq kids do not continue to be more likely to experience homeless hom and attempted suicide and that's it that's all and the guidance driving that is substantiated by data and the real life experience of a majority of actual trans and non-binary people and not by the hysteria or political agendas please consider this in your vote and if you need more education or information ask for it there is no shame in not understanding something and there is no shame in asking questions but there is shame in playing politics with our kids thank you for your time thank you Jolly hello everyone my name is Jolly L I'm from Montgomery I am originally from India I am here as a strong supporter of everyone who believe in individual Freedom their own body autonomy and uh make decisions for themselves I'm reading a letter on behalf of Sai natar who is a former student of JP Stevens class of 2018 I'm honored to read the letter for Sai dear Board of Education members I'm writing this letter as a quer person who grew up in Edison and graduated from JP Stevens High School I graduated in 2018 and even though that was just a few years ago the culture around being qu felt very different I was rat with confusion and I expected intolerance at every juncture I was so so lucky to have been widely met with acceptance and understanding from the people I felt safe telling at that time however these people did not include my parents I like so many other first generation children of immigrants was extremely worried at the reaction my parents would have I did everything in my power to keep my quess a secret from them it took me 5 years and several important but difficult conversations to finally tell my parents parents once again I was incredibly lucky to have been met with love and acceptance this is not a universal experience I am not sure if it is even a common one I don't know what I would have done if the teachers or School staff I trusted to tell were forced to disclose this information to my parents the stress of being a teenager and doing well in school was substantial the stress of being a teenager grappling with your own sexuality and gender expression was immense without the threat of rejection from my family trans and gender expansive children go through enough as it is the confusion of having to figure out who you are outside of every normative structure is intense they deserve any and every opportunity to feel safe during this journey especially if that safety is not guaranteed at home if you are concerned with the safety and well-being of children in Edison I urge you to reconsider your decision to repeal policy 5756 thank you for your time sincerely Z natar JPS class of 2018 thank you thank you next is anonymous anonymous yes hello since 2019 I never gave my name and address anonymous Communications are permissible may I continue two other people didn't have to give their name and address claiming threat risks I I feel threatened by leftwing radicals I I can't hear you everyone gave their name in municipality it's the board's policy sir two people did not sir your time is running it's your time to speak but I need you to provide your name and and municipality am I recognized am I I'm recognized cuz my time is running you're not recognized unless you until you provide your name in municipality my name is anonymous middle sex County as Sir if I may again your time is running we we have a board policy not recognized then why is my time running if I'm not recognized well because you're taking your time it's your six minutes Anonymous Ed you would like to anous and argue with me Anonymous edwn why he arguing with me during my time I just recognize myself Anonymous Township sir no your nameing is pet please sir please John Edison New Jersey no your name in municipality please Sir John Doe Edison New Jersey um so during my time Count Council PR point of privilege council president can you stop him right now you have no point of privilege sure you're not a board member okay I'm going to I'm going to file a tour claim against you uh Christo Edison New Jersey thank you sir thank you now you can shut up it's my time um so many lies have been told here number one number one school districts didn't voluntarily folks folks school districts didn't voluntarily sign up for this policy they were threatened that if they did not they would lose school funding so you know let's call a spade a spade that's number one um number two I respect all of you doing your first amendment protected activity even if I disagree with you um this is how dialogue starts um but as you can see two people didn't give their name and address you've been bullying me you were paid off to bully me I want to know what the uh attorney's Law Firm is in regards to policy 5756 um it's more than just not notifying parents it's about allowing people to to use the wrong restroom what's going to happen when a male goes into the girl's restroom rapes her and then she gets pregnant I hope I was quiet while while they spoke I I wish the same could be afforded to me um God bless America um at the end of the day pride is a sin but they're so prideful they they won't even know they're so wrong that they should repent repent to Jesus Christ and ask for forgiveness but that's neither here nor there um the fact that these people come they're not even from Edison they're not Edison taxpayers they don't have student uh none other kids are in this school I I see I see I see Pat Coyle here I see people from mayor CM Jo's Administration but he doesn't have the time to give me president but he doesn't I am I'm talking to the board president but he please don't talk to me but he doesn't have the time to give me uh a meeting it just goes to show you where they what they think is important so if it's an lgbtq issue then it's important enough for the mayor staff to be here which is absolutely disgusting um I went to Edison schools all my life I I'd like to know why not one person came up here said the truth that whether we have this policy or we don't have this policy um Edison teachers were always the best they you know um there was never any situation my whole life here in Edison where any student was at risk R either from the school or anything but to say you guys can't give information to the parents okay the American Psychiatric association said gender dysphoria is a mental illness in the 1970s okay they don't they don't get to just redefine the whole universe because of their political agenda because we know that because of gender dysphoria a lot of kids are suicide and do self harm we have a a bunch of people today that want to promote an agenda where statistically the kid it leads the kids to Suicide um you know the school system it's to educate the kid I support all kids any kid can grow up and decide what they want to be and I'll support them what I don't support is is when sick ass adults get together and try to force their sexuality on children or tell them how to think that's what I'm really against um yeah so it's not just the lgbtq uh Community it's lgbtqp Community uh they also have pedophiles in their Community as well um so God Bless America um I'm going to follow T claim on on the lawyer for bullying me while I was up here but I mean as you can see I never threaten no nobody as they're speaking my mouth shut but when when they don't like something they hear they interrupt the speaker they they took up at least a minute minute 30 seconds of my time it's all right I'm going to come back up for public comments and rebuttal but yeah I love you I don't have anything against you guys I know they have something against me but again um I for I forgive each and every one of you I have no problem with any of you and we can continue this debate at another time good Celeste Fe Celeste fear yeah Cel here go ahead sir uh thank you very much uh my name is Celeste fiori my pronouns are they them and I'm in attorney here in the great state of New Jersey so every time I and I am from need your address we'll need your your name and the municipality sir let's I'm sorry can I I'm putting an appearance on the record I'm not being combative I'm I live in Piscataway I'm not here Tok that's all right I'm the one that looked up the policy it's policy 167 uh as I said before I'm an attorney here in the great state of New Jersey I do not represent uh obviously I don't represent the board and I don't represent any parents here tonight I'm speaking in my own personal capacity but I think it's really important that as a lawyer I stand up here and I make sure that you all as a board know that you have a right to your own councel you have a right to choose the attorney that you have representing you you have a right to question the legal advice that you are being given you have the right and you have a duty to the students that you serve to actually be critically questioning the legal advice that you are being given because ultimately while you may not be responsible in a personal capacity there are ramifications when you don't actually follow the law and I'm not up here to preach what the law is because you can either look it up uh you can find it but also it un UNS suable is very much opran to interpretation but really the point of me standing here tonight is to let you know that the students who are being protected by a policy like 5756 they grow up to be lawyers just like me except I didn't have a policy that would have protected me from Forced outing to my parents I didn't have a policy that would have allowed me to actually do even better than I did so if you can imagine that I'm a pretty successful lawyer I was actually a member of the a trustee of the State Bar Association so I wasn't just a lawyer who like who people suffered with I was a lawyer that people chose to have me come and speak to them I was was a lawyer that where they would make accommodations and they would make sure that there was a bathroom that I could use that was in accordance with my gender identity which is in compliance with our law against discrimination but a lot of times our public facilities are not there and you may wonder councel why are you talking to me about this because 5756 also provides bathroom access for students to be able to use the restrooms in accordance with their gender identity and if you've ever been at an event where you've been forced to use your brain but also hold your bladder at the same same time I can tell you that you cannot perform to your utmost capacity I did again did not have the benefit of a safe and affirming Public School environment uh now I didn't go to school in New Jersey but that's okay it was still a public school and it was in the 90s and that these types of policies didn't exist I didn't live in a jurisdiction that had a robust law against discrimination and I really I actually want you to hear me when I say the words law against discrimin and you may be wondering how does this really happen how does this come up in schools because children are citizens too they're people with rights they're people with autonomy and guess what they grow up really quickly if you've ever parented children which I have you turn around and one day they're like they're driving cars and it's terrifying and you're trying to figure out say you have a transgender child you're trying to figure out if you're going to uh counsel them to get an exgender marker on their driver's license because I don't know if you all are aware of this but thanks to Bab sierin a great transgender rates activist in New Jersey since 2017 we have had an xgender marker on our birth certificates and very shortly thereafter the DMV allowed for an exgender marker the US passport office allows for an exgender marker and again you might be saying Council why do you keep bringing this up because when your schools are already not reaching children where you're trying to figure out how to teach them to ATT test when you're trying to find out how they are going to perform the best statistically maybe you should make sure that they're in a psychologically safe environment where they can use the bathroom they can play on sports teams they can be in sex segregated facilities that correspond to their gender identity because these are very basic things and I know because I have I had this growing up I have this lived experience not only personally but also representing parents of transgender children who are seeking name changes to affirm their child's gender identity which if you get a court order I think you all know on on on the school board that when there's a court order that says this is a child's name you have to use that name right and I I I I know that you know that because you're getting Good Counsel um from your current attorney and and again you you might be asking yourself why why am I bringing this up because schools are not keeping up if you look at where we are as a society everywhere else we have an exgender marker on things do you have gender inclusive bathrooms in your schools are you do you have or do you have a plan for when the non-binary kid wants to play on a sex segregated sports team do you know what the njsi a policy is because the thing is I think that we I think that you are sitting here and I I hate to put thoughts in your head but you know that wasn't really an open meeting the last time that maybe maybe because transgender people are such a small segment of the population that it's not going to affect your data if something terrible happens to them and I really hope that's not the case but I wanted to stand before you as a very um I'd like to think accomplished and well spoken adult uh who's non-binary uses they them pronouns and I get respected everywhere that I am but where that starts is in schools for most of these young people so thank you for your time please don't repeal this policy thank you uh Ruth Ruth ro hi my name is Ruth R and I live in Monclair New Jersey I'm an openly gay Korean American and parent to three children I'm also a founding board member of aapi new New Jersey I am here to speak in support of policy 5756 because it protects the well-being of vulnerable students especially Asian-American students under this policy students are able to confide in teachers without the fear that deeply personal information would be disclosed to their parents I have relatives in Edison who are not unlike my own parents and it's amazing to see the rise in support of lgbtq children in Asian families but I experienced firsthand how unsafe home environments can be for lgbtq youth especially within many tight-knit cultural communities like some Asian-American communities here many lgbtq youth seriously consider attempting suicide and those who experience rejection from their families are eight times more likely to attempt Su suicide than those who feel accepted these students are at risk and policies like 5756 help protect them growing up my parents made their stance clear I have a good relationship with them now but under their roof any suggestion that I might be gay filled them with uncontrollable rage and this was long before I was aware of my own identity when I did come to know I confided in two friends at school but I was forbidden from meeting friends after school so I spent most of my time at home I didn't come out to my parents until I was an adult and safely living on my own and even then I faced harassment and isolation until I was able to threaten to disown them teachers provide a vital safe space for students and forcing them to break that trust creates a devastating breach this isn't about keeping secrets from parents it's about protecting students who might not have anyone else they can turn to parents absolutely deserve to know if their child is in danger but exploration of identity and self-discovery belongs to the student it should be their choice when how and with whom to share that Journey before voting to abolish this protection I urge the board to reflect if your child was on on the path to self-discovery and they confided in you would you expose their deeply personal thoughts to someone who might react with harm would you break that trust protecting our students means trusting them and the Educators who care for them so I urge you to consider the harm you may cause to the individual students before you resolve to repeal this protection thank you you love you Ragan good evening everyone my name is Lavania ragavan I'm a board member at API New Jersey oh sorry I'm here from Glenridge New Jersey um I'm a board member at API New Jersey the largest Asian-American organization in the state of New Jersey I'm also Al here as a community organizer and most importantly as a first generation immigrant parent like many in this room I'm raising a child in a country that I did not grow up in a journey that doesn't come with a blueprint one thing I know for certain is that as parents we all share a common wish for our children to be happy healthy and successful and for our children to truly succeed they must have the freedom to live as their authentic selves transgender and lgbtq youth face elevated risks of mental health struggles and suicide Educators and therapists have spoken about this so I will do not need to repeat what they have said reports from the travor project highlight that when schools adopt inclusive policies including the use of correct pronouns gender neutral facilities transgender youth experience a substantial drop in suicide attempts and mental health Health crisis the data is undeniable and this certainly seems to be a datadriven district and it tells us and this data tells us that the safe space a school provides is not just beneficial it is essential tonight as you gather on the eve of Diwali to fulfill your duty to this community your dhma to this community I urge you to spread the light of acceptance and unwavering support for all our children let us light the way with love let us strive to create communities and schools where each and every student feels valued and supported I urge you to support policy 5756 thank you for your time Anthony J Anthony Mar excuse me Anthony Mara reside in Edison you've heard me before some of the things I'm going to say tonight you've heard before but good things are worth repeating than um please continue yes the Lord Jesus Christ gave us a the Golden Rule you can't argue with it do unto others as you would have them do unto you why I bring this up because policy 5756 violates it is there a parent anywhere in this town maybe even anywhere in this country who wants to be kept in the dark about what's going on with his or her son or daughter if we say don't tell Mom and Dad where do we draw the line what about a drug problem keep me in the dark about that what about a drinking problem what about poor grades where do we draw the line let Mom and Dad be mom and dad are all the mom and dads perfect of course not policy 5756 says keeping mom and D dad in the dark if you don't want to be kept in the dark as a parent why do you do it to Edison parents that's hypocrisy don't do that God also gave gave us another fundamental rule of living the fifth commandment honor your father and your mother you can't argue with that what parent does not want to be o honored well 5756 dishonors mom and dad keep them in the dark don't tell them what the school of personnel know Mr Schneider Mr Rivera you're running for for reelection your website says that you are upholding parents' rights if you vote to retain 5756 you can't say that that's hypocrisy you either abolish 5756 in which case you can proudly say we uphold parents rights or wipe that out from your website and your literature you can have it both ways it's one or the other let's talk about about competing in sports you got boys competing with girls shame on you shame on you this isn't equality I've heard a lot about equality tonight that's superiority that's super that's wrong and sharing bathrooms yeah suppose the guy says you know what I'm a girl but today I'm going to change my mind we're the grown-ups we're supposed to be educated the students do we tell them of the harmful effects of going transgender namely the transgender student is going to do serious damage to his or her reproductive organs are they going to have children in the usual way in the usual way not it's not going to happen it's going to be very very difficult as opposed to the straight student he has a much better CH he or she has a much better chance of having having children in usual way they're children do they really know this are they going to cut themselves off from being parents do you tell them this do you educate them that there seems to be fear about what if 5756 is repealed what do we replace it with replace it with education replace it with telling them okay you want to go the transgender route know the consequences there's been a lot of talk about suicide I don't need to add to it it's a fact excuse me it's a fact educate them tell them of the consequences and keep mom and dad in the loop so so they can be the parents that they want to be repealing 5756 does not violate the law New Jersey Law remains in attct intact New Jersey law against discrimination it's still there you have no authority to to repeal it or override it you're simply Paving another way to say to the student understand the long-term consequences of a decision you make to go transgender you're going to have a very difficult time having children do you know the consequences of that do you appreciate it again there the children you're we're the Educators that we're supposed to tell them that you're not violating the law in fact the the court case of pla vers Hanover Township Board of Ed contains a statement from the attorney general where it specifically stated that the Attorney General concedes policy 5756 is not required by the law retain 5756 bless the parents of this town let them be the parents that they want to be thank you for listening Helen Jang hello can you hear me through my mask okay excellent hi I'm Helen I'm from Edison uh today I will be reading a letter from a former student who was unable to attend today my name is Karan Manan and I am currently a data scientist in Seattle I was born and raised in Edison and I'm a proud Alum of JP Stevens I was incredibly dismay to see the recent action of the Board of Education against our transgender youth it has already been concerning to see similar events happen in several conservative States and to see this happen in the liberal Bastion that I consider home is a reminder of how we shouldn't take our liberties for granted and that we should take an active role in ensuring Justice for All I think parents rights and parental involvement in their children's future is important and I attribute the success of many Edison kids to it but given the traditional mindset of many parents it has its limits I have LGBT friends who still haven't told their parents well into adulthood as a student it was normal for relationships to be conceived Ked even by heterosexual couples out of fear of their parents' misunderstanding or retaliation one can imagine how difficult and scary it must then be for queer students it takes a lot of Bravery to embrace a different sexuality or gender identity internally and it takes even more to come out to the world in an Ideal World children should be supported throughout the journey by their parents but this cannot always happen in the interest of their mental health and self-discovery transgender individuals should get the choice to come out in the way most comfortable to them one of the reasons cited in blocking the state policy was a desire to not have transgender issues taught in schools as a place of education schools should promote positive values like acceptance for all and provide knowledge and understanding of lgbtq issues such actions will benefit us all as a whole I credit Edison schools with being different from others by encouraging us to understand perspectives different from our own and going beyond the traditional male and eurocentric Norms of thinking at JP Stevens we read a book written in African-American dialect another about a woman discovering her sexuality and self-identity in a conservative society and books by lgbtq authors as students we questioned these choices since they were quite different from Shakespeare or Dickens but we realize it doesn't mean those perspectives were less valid I was able to gain New Perspectives and understand those outside of our bubble which is especially important for many of us as South Asians in a mostly White Society we want our expression and understanding from others transgender people like all of us deserve the same treatment in a town like Edison with its strong immigrant background some of us worry that lgbtq topics conflict with our beautiful traditions and values I could not disagree more I am proud of my Indian root and uphold both my Hindu and cultural Traditions I can speak the most for my own South Asian culture and I would like to highlight that there is a long history of both trans and gender non-conforming people in Indian history alternative gender identities were respected in Ancient India and recognized by religious Doctrine for example Lord Vishnu is often defined as gender fluid and sometimes assumes the female form of moini transgender identity is nuanced and we must actively understand this nuance and give them understanding inclusion and acceptance I strongly urge the Board of Education to reconsider its peel of policy 5756 thank you thank you Andra Indra Indra so my name is Andra and I'm from a touin I also have a trans child we were fortunate that our son came out to us first but it wasn't just because we were his parents it was also because through our actions and words we provided a safe and supportive environment where he was able to tell his story with that confidence he came out to his grandmother who Embrace him with love and open-hearted S support and today she is his biggest champion her acceptance also set the tone for our extended family helping them to understand that he is the same bright caring kid he's always been and that love and acceptance are truly what matters however not every child has this kind of support system policy 5756 is an important student focused transgender policy that ensures a safe and inclusive space for students to explore and understand their identities without fear for some children home may not be a safe place to express their true selves making school the only environment where they can find safety affirmation and understanding essential to their well-being repealing policy 5756 would remove that safe space leaving vulnerable trans students without the critical protection they need to Thrive this isn't just about policy it's about creating a school culture that Fosters respect understanding and acceptance regardless of their background or identity our trans trans children deserve to feel secure in their own skin and to have a supportive space to learn and grow even for our family policy 5756 has been critical to ensure that his rights are protected we are grateful F to our school district for having the Student Center policy just to give you an example this was my son's experience at his middle school the principal spoke to her son directly when she noticed he was using he him pronouns and using a new name she asked him how she and a school could be supportive of him she ensured that all his teachers use his preferred name and pronoun afforded him the right to privacy but also allowed him to tell his story on his his terms as parents we could not have asked for a more safe and inclusive environment for him at the last board meet Board of Ed meeting many of you spoke about your rights as parents how much you love your children and how you want to guide your children what I didn't hear was the students perspective those that would be most impacted by repealing this policy I would like to share my son's story with you for my son it was important to come out on his own terms being a able to speak his own truth not only gave him control over his own coming out but also gave him the self-confidence to advocate for himself and others now I want you to hear from my son in his own words I'm a freshman in high school I love playing soccer singing and building robots I can go on for days about Marvel movies and Shakespeare and I happen to be trans as far back as I can remember I knew I was a boy it wasn't something that you had to be told you just knew like your favorite food or your favorite song before it came out I always tried to figure out what was wrong with me why I felt so different from what I was told every time I looked in the mirror it was always another person just a costume staring back at me I felt alone and different but that all changed when I got to sixth grade we read a book about a fourth grade trans girl on her journey to coming out everything that she described feeling in the book Matched my own feelings and the joy she felt when she came out was what I dream dreamt of feeling one day I finally realized that I wasn't alone and that I wasn't wrong and now I had a word to describe who I always had been I was a transperson that had so many people who would love me no matter what and so I came out I remember being most scared about coming out to my grandma my dadima my dadima has always been a huge part of my life when I came out to her I sat her down and I told her that I was a boy she had the best reaction she told me that she already knew see Al she also told me that she would love me no matter what about a month later on on Ro abundan my dma went a step further for those of you who don't know Rox abundant is a holiday where sisters tie a bracelet called a rocky onto their brothers to show their love and pray for his wellbeing every year dma would buy the r Rockies for us and that particular year she brought a special one for my sister to tie on me it said meai which in English means my brother I will always remember that day when my dma gave gave the rocky to me to for my sister to tie on to me for the very first time as her brother not old kids have this family that I have many of my friends are in the process of coming out as trans or nonbinary and they don't have a supportive family to to make them feel safe given that my time's uh coming out my son story and those of other trans students are the voices that you should be listening to there is so much Mis information out there but these are the kids that are most impacted they are future doctors Engineers artists and Community leaders and being trans is just one part of them to the board of ed keeping policy 5756 will send a message through your words and actions to students in Edison that you hear them and are focused on creating a supportive and inclusive environment which will Empower trans students to thrive academically emotionally and socially thank you thank you I'm really going toop this name up praner Parker yeah I told you I mess it up here she okay good thank you my name is pre Parker I'm from New Brunswick enjoy my pronouns are they them and I am a trans and non-binary Bengali American resident of New Jersey I did not feel safe coming out um when I was younger to my parents and I did not come out to them until I was 30 years old financially independent and living on the other side of the country from them that should give you a little clue into how Frau South Asian family Dynamics can be when it comes to coming out I am still not out to my extended family in India if I had been outed earlier in my life I would have lost my parents' financial support I would not have gone to college I would not have been able to leave the conservative small town I grew up in and I may not be standing before you today I'm here today on behalf of monavi where I'm an advocate and Outreach coordinator for the South Asian lgbtq plus Survivor Community monavi founded in 1985 is the first organization in the United States dedicated to ending all forms of violence against South Asian Survivor survivors of intimate partner violence and domestic violence I would like to speak briefly about the potential impact that removing policy 5756 could have on South Asian trans students in Edison from an intimate partner violence perspective one study found that 31% of transgender people compared to 20% of their cisgender um counterparts had experienced intimate partner VI violence or Dating Violence in their lifetime Lifetime ipv and sexual Sol prevalence amongst transgender people ranges from 25% to as high as 47% and this is not due intrinsically to being trans or lgbtq this is because of discrimination and systemic oppression for many lgbtq plus people interpersonal violence often begins in youth or young adulthood another study found that nearly four one in four transgender High School age students had been forced to have sex against their will as opposed to 15% of their cisgender peers transgender students are also reported at higher risk for levels of physical and sexual Dating Violence compared to their cisgender peers people from marginalized communities are at greater increased risk to experience interpersonal violence as abusers will often capitalize on existing social and economic vulnerabilities to wield control for Trans people this often shows up as abusers weaponizing existing homophobic transphobic systems of stigma discrimination and lack of knowledge about queer people to perpetuate their control the South Asian Community typically utilizes informal support systems first when seeking help for intimate partner violence this means going to a family member a teacher or a religious leader removing the protection that policy 5756 provides to trans students removes two of those crucial informal support systems it removes two safe spaces school and home that trans students might be able to go to to seek help this dramatically increases their risk of experiencing interpersonal violence in the immediate future and across their lifetime these uh stigma homophobia and transphobia within the South Asian Community compounds this issue making South Asian trans youth particularly vulnerable and in need of protection only 10% of Indian lgbtq kids report access to affirming spaces in their communities these Stark statistics indicate that being able to come out on their own terms is extremely important to the health and safety of South Asian trans youth School may be the only place where they are safe to express themselves fully and authentically and build confidence in their identities self-confidence community support and acceptance are all protective factors against abuse and violence if we don't protect trans students by upholding policy 5756 then they will be dealing with the repercussions of our mistake potentially for the rest of their lives exposure to interpersonal violence and sexual violence can result in lifelong conditions such as bodily injury STI PTSD substance use depression anxiety and suicide I implore you on behalf of monavi and the South Asian lgbtq plus Community to uphold Edison school district's mission of creating a safe and inclusive learning environment by standing with trans students and protecting their bodily autonomy and safety at school and beond thank Youk you prti kilal good evening can you hear me all right yes yes all right thank you hello my name is pry I am an Edison resident and an Alum of our Edison public school system from the first grade through the 12th today I will be reading you a letter from my former craftmate and my dear dear friend Leo his statement Starts Now my name is Leo heg I use he and they pronouns I am a trans masculine and queer indian-american born in New Jersey I grew up in Edison and was a student in the Edison school district from K to 12 I graduated from JP Stevens High School in 2015 where I was a dedicated member of the JP Stevens band and good friends with Jerry she's daughter Heidi I strongly support keeping policy 5756 which creates a safe space in Edison schools for students to explore their identities in a safe and supportive environment I did not feel comfortable coming out as trans and queer when I was a student in Edison I was worried that my parents would be unsupportive or cut me off because of ignorant comments they had made about trans and queer people and I knew that many South Asian families do not have culturally relevant resources or education on lgbtq ID ities I didn't see open support for lgbtq kids in school either other than a small GSA at the time I felt a huge amount of anxiety as a high schooler trying to keep my identities a secret from my family friends classmates and teachers I wish that I had more support in high school from my teachers counselors and peers to feel safe disclosing my queer and trans identities I did not come out as trans until College where I had plenty of support from the lgbtqia center on my campus it was only when I felt safe enough to explore my identity in a supportive community that I shared with my parents that I was trans it was important for me to tell them on my own timeline in a political moment where trans youth are being used as scapegoats by opportunistic right-wing politicians I am extremely disappointed to hear that the Edison Board of Ed is considering repealing this policy the Trevor Project's 2023 survey on the mental health of lgbtq young people shows that fewer than 40% of lgbtq young people found their home to be lgbtq affirming forced outings to unsupportive parents can be devastating to trans Youth and contribute to already disproportionately high rates of suicide amongst lgbtq youth if the Edison Board of Ed wants to support trans kids and their parents it should work on providing accurate and culturally relevant education about trans identity for all parents in the Edison school district this will help students feel safe and supported to come out to their families on their own terms thank you thank you Laura choy my name is Laura Zang Choy from Stewartsville New Jersey I am on the steering committee member of API rainbow parents of P flag I'm a parent of a transgender young adult a faith leader and educator in the Presbyterian Church USA I will not reiterate what so many Advocates have already said about why children like mine deserve equal treatment as every other student I find it my duty to speak up as an Asian-American mom who supports our child's gender identity because our stories are still very invisible in our communities I have witnessed firstand what happens to the mental health of children and young people like mine when they do not receive the acceptance that they deserve from their families or their communities so instead of um giving you more data maybe you should know that for two years between eth and nth grades many days for many days I worried that my kid would not live into adulthood you should also know that for seven months for seven months out of the school year my kid did not go to the bath bathroom at school and this is this is after I started advocating for my child's needs and um support you should also know that my child's 10th grade English teacher outed her to me not for for a show of support and solidarity but she didn't know me she didn't know whether I would go home and harm my child or kick her out of the house she didn't know she wanted to show solidarity and support So for families like mine we also know a disproportionate number a disproportionate number of families who lost their children to suicide because they just did not have enough time for the adults in their lives to get it together no children to deserve to die because their world is hostile to their existence because of who they inherently are no child deserves to be excluded because the adults refuse to create safe space spaces of safety and belonging for them and I don't have the data for this but maybe we can all attest to the safe teacher that we all had when we were younger a safe teacher is often the first adult that a child a trans child comes out to just to for as a testing ground for what it might be like to come out to an adult so you are actually also putting teachers at risk for specifically supporting their students so I invite you to reconsider your decision also due to the legal ramifications and your obligation to uphold state and federal protections for Trans students because I want everyone to hear me when I say this especially the young people in the room that regardless of whether this policy exists in the language in your policy manual removing this policy does not negate any of the rights that trans and non-binary students are entitled to they just won't know it they just won't know that it that they have those rights so as a public school that receives Federal funding you you are obligated to comply to Title 9 that prohibits discrimination against gender race and sex so as a district you will still be obligated to provide the same same rights same access to trans and non-binary students just as listed in this policy nothing the district is obligated to do will be any different the only thing that removing this policy will do is to prevent trans and non-binary students and their families from knowing that they have certain rights how would they know they have rights if it's not explicitly written somewhere that they can access how would teachers know what their students rights are so removing a policy that explicitly protects a protected class of students not only opens the district up for potential lawsuits which can be very costly but it diminishes your obligations as Board of aded members to protect all students because that is your job even though you are elected by your community by parents and your neighbors but once you're elected and I know this is not the first time you've heard this because I've heard this as well your constituents are not the voters your constituents are the students who count on you to ensure that all kids have the safest environment possible to pursue academic Excellence because that is the goal you're elected to be the voice of all students first and foremost and to create a climate and culture where students are free to pursue the best versions of themselves so removing this policy will not accomplish that end it will only make it unsafe for protected class of students that you're obligated to protect so please reconsider your position on this policy thank you thank you gatri mau gatri mau okay okay uh Reed Rodriguez Ary Ary kic mandar angle mandar angle AR sorry great good evening members of the Board of Education in Edison my name is arthy KCK um from Glenrock New Jersey my pronouns are she herur I'm a trained neuroscientist I am a community leader I'm a former elected official and I'm the board member of aapi New Jersey most importantly and the most important reason I'm here today is that I'm a daisy Mom I'm here to urge you to vote no on the repeal of policy 5756 as many of us are here to tell you that today I'm here to urge you to stand up to protect our trans youth particularly our aapi trans youth as someone who is familiar with sitting on the deis and making decisions for our community I know it's not easy I know you're here because you care about our students and I urge you to act with that in mind front and center your mission is to empower every child to become a confident creative and self-sufficient learner yet repealing policy 5756 opposes this Mission putting our lgbtq plus students at risk of severe mental and emotional harm you've heard that today with multiple statistics and true Brave vulnerable amazing incredible personal stories consider this 50% of indian-american lgbtq plus Youth and nearly 40% of lgbtq plus youth in New Jersey report self Haring or seriously considering suicide these aren't just statistics these are our children our loved ones lights in our communities who have been extinguished and their losses reverberate deeply for many lgbtq plus students school is often the only place they feel safe enough to be themselves you've heard this over and over and over and over again this policy ensures that they have a supportive affirming space where their identity is respected and where they can feel safe and valued this is core to all of your mission without this protection their sense of belonging is jeopardized leading to deep pain heightened anxiety depression and severe risks to their well-being and it is a pain and a scar and hurt hurtful for our entire community and you can listen to just some of the dangerous and damaging statements that have been made before me today they have to to understand the Deep Well of pain and how unsafe students might be feeling here today as well as in schools and in our communities to be clear this policy 5756 doesn't infringe on parental rights it simply Prov provides lgbtq plus students who are at risk as we've heard a safe place to feel valued retaining this policy is so important you've had many Brave and vulnerable students and other folks speaking their lived experiences and bearing their pain to you in an effort to help you understand this is enormous emotional labor and I'm so angry on their behalfs that they have to be here please honor them with your compassion it is important to remember that just because some of us support our lgbtq plus youth at home others may not in South Asian households in particular and aapi communities in general we need to Foster open inclusive conversations around lgbtq issues breaking the myth that this is somehow a western phenomena or something other our lgbtq youth our youth in general deserve this understanding and support in every community and every home as Boe members you have a unique opportunity to lead by example and support conversations that bring awareness and empathy rather than add to anxiety or misinformation or pain indeed you can play a pivotal role in increasing inclusion and belonging for all youth in the school system by not only keeping this policy but considering other ways in which you can increase inclusion and belonging and finally repealing policy 5756 also invites legal and financial risks we've heard at least one maybe more people today talk about this but talk about how they've come here to ask you for accountability for taxes and we've seen in other districts across New Jersey that removing these protections can lead to um can lead to legal troubles and costly legal challenges that could drain taxpayer funds money that should be going towards our children's education not fighting avoidable litigation so please consider both the moral and financial consequences of your decision for the well-being of our students and to fulfill your responsibility to the community keep policy 5756 in place help ensure that every child in Addison feels safe respected and empowered to thrive thank you for your consideration thank you mandar mandar Dian Shetty good evening thank you for your service to this community my name is Dan finny my address is in Colt neck I'm sorry I I called Dian and shetti you can come back later I need to go in order there's no D and shed right okay I'll move to the next one vikas I can't read the last name vikas Buri vikas maduri mukarji uh members of the board uh my name is mad mukarji I live in Montclair New Jersey but I am here to read a letter from Dr Dennis Flores who is the class of 1942 endowed team term chair and an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania uh School of Nursing these are the words of Dr Flores my research that has been funded by the National Institute of Health for more than a decade revolves around ways adults May best support youth going through puberty including children who may identify as transgender a consistent finding we've seen through the years is the clear value of explicit and tacid support for youth who are going through the tumultuousness of adolesence when trusted adults such as those in schools provide clear and consistent support to young people who may be questioning their gender identities the mental and physical health of these youth are fortified to this end removing School protections such as policy 5756 that allow youth who may have Di diverse gender identities to be supported in school settings is ill advised not only does it make it harder for youth to have the space to more fully figure themselves out which is a typical adolescent task it also conveys that there's something inherently wrong with these with those who may be gender diverse youth lgbtq plus youth in New Jersey enjoy protections that their counterparts in many states do not have this is because en en ened Representatives have enshrined policies that make clear how lgbtq plus youth are not second-class citizens through policy deliberations backed by signs and informed by citizens who live these realities every day citizens of Edison for example have policies that are the Envy of individuals who live outside New Jersey rolling back explicit protections makes it harder for future youth to know what services and support they can Avail of it also runs counter to what we know about accessible and clear guidelines that ensure access to caring adults and fair Health outcomes removal of policy 5756 is tant amount to failing youth who happen to be gender diverse we cannot allow a reversal of gains that have been life-saving for countless youth in New Jersey thank you for your time and your fair consideration sincerely Dennis Flores HD acrn fa aan from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing thank you thank you anel aneli Merra good evening my name is Angelie motra and I live in mside New Jersey um I'm first going to read a letter from Dr Raja gopal bter we have heard from members of different Faith communities I feel like we have not necessarily heard from the Hindu community that I think a lot of people here um are represented um Dr Raja gopal bter is a nationally recognized leader in higher education an advocate consultant author and Hindu priest Dr bter comes from a lineage of Hindu spiritual leaders from tiup and is a proud queer and gender non-conforming person of color they say Hinduism is and has always been deeply rooted in inclusion and pluralism particularly around gender and sex as we look at many of our great epics whether we read the b bhagat m bhagwat Gita the Mahabharata or The Vedas each talks extensively about the gender diversity in our tradition and the Divine Right to protect and support people of many identity ities the manusmriti mentions the third sex identity as a valid identity called tra prakriti the Mahabharata has many stories of transgender people being protected particularly when Arjun lives in a Haram of hijras which not only identifies trans and gender people as accepted in society but as also key people within the king's Palace as policy makers our job is to increase protection for all our people and to use our Faith or other Traditions to increase access and Equity not to use outdated Colonial ideas to harm our children if you are truly invested in children's well-being then you will all continue to continue the productions for all children especially lgbtq kids this commitment to aimsa is the core Foundation of our Hindu worldview and what has helped us evolve for thousands of years this is from Dr Raja bhat I would like to say a few things as myself now I am speaking here today as an indian-american an immigrant a parent and an advocate Who has fought for Education equity and gender parity in Trenton last year I was one of the people that was key to passing a bill that now requires free menstrual products to be placed in girls and on gender bathrooms in all of New Jersey Public Schools I fought for four years to make that bill inclusive that is what I am most proud of I am also the mother of twin girls I think it is important that I as a CIS woman who is the mother of cisgender daughter cisgender daughters sorry Speak Out to protect our vulnerable Tans and non-b students as I said before I live in Mountainside Mountainside is not that far from Edison it's like one town over when my kids were growing up we spent a lot of time in Edison my kids went to dance school here for 13 years they danced along kids that went to Edison schools to Edison High and to JP Stevens and are friends with them so I think it is important for me to be here to recognize that when New Jersey put forward the stat the statute this transgender policy guidance 5756 it was to protect all students across the state your zip code and where you live should not matter it is also important that I address the home hop phobia transphobia and stigma about lgbtq identities that you've heard from many many speakers here tonight the reality is that most of us will never know the challenges faced by a family whose child is queer but those who do every single one of them wants to keep this policy in place that should tell us something why because above all they want to see their children alive I am very worried about the lives of these childrens and as the Board of Education your primary objective should be to provide a safe learning environment for all the kids and so you should be too I'm not going to report uh rehash all the stats that you've heard many times but I think one of them is important we know that outing can lead to uh without consent can lead to Serious consequences and it's been reported tonight that 39% of Indian lgbtq kids have serious considered suicide in the past year and 20 have actually attempted it but I want to bring attention the fact that these are not merely statistics just two weeks ago on October 14th here in New Jersey Raven Sayad a trans da student at Ryder University was found deceased in his dorm room and a parent suicide two weeks ago so I trust you to think about this it is truly a matter of life and death I urge you as the Edison Board of Education to keep this policy to protect our most vulnerable students I urge you to trust the students your staff and your Administration to make the right decisions for them thank you thank you Claire mclennon hi my name is Claire I'm from mouin and I'm very honored to read this letter from Kevin kavio dear Edison Board of Education my name is Kevin kavio I am a former student from the district having attended Edison Public Schools every year K through 12 and I still have family including a nephew in middle school and Friends who friends there who I want to know will be voting in this year's election I am writing to urge you all to vote against the repeal of policy 5756 after graduating from Edison High School I volunteered for seven years from 2017 to 2024 as a crisis counselor for the Trevor Project I worked on their chat text lines helping lgbtq plus youth in crisis many and some nights all of my conversations with trans kids who were considering suicide if you know the data this is unsurprising a study by the Trevor Project found half of young trans people seriously considered suicide in the last year alone some of the kids I spoke to went through with suicide attempts a primary factor in the vast majority of these young people's crises was their transphobic often abusive parents for many one bit of Hope and happiness in their lives was supportive adults at school repealing policy 5756 will rip away this Refuge I understand the instinct to keep parents informed about everything related to their children but doing so in this case has deadly consequences the fact is repealing policy 5756 and Outing trans students to their parents absolutely has the potential to kill kids kill kids guys come on do better for the sake of protecting our young people's lives please do not repeal policy 5756 sincerely Kevin kavia thank you ran Bustamante roban Bustamante I can't read the flitty I think get back in it back oh sorry hello hi um I'm Rowan bante from Elwood Park um today ma'am where do you your address please parwood park yeah um uh today I don't just want to talk about my story but I want to talk about the way I grew up and um my childhood friend story um before I was ever kind of even introduced to the idea of being different and knowing I'm Different I knew that there was something up and that people were allowed to be different and that it was common I grew up in a household where I was wasn't shamed for being who I am and I grew up in a household where yeah my parents earn their trust from me and part of that is the thought of students being outed to not just their parents but to their at home family knowing that it could be dangerous do you these kids know their parents way better than you ever will I mean they've grew up with them if if you feel as if you're in danger there's a high chance that you could be in danger your job is to protect these vulnerable kids to protect and help these kids who are coming to you for help coming to you and opening up about their sexuality or their gender and they're being outed they're being outed and put back into sent home because clearly they can't stay here the whole day sent home to environments where they could be in danger nobody nobody knows only they do and when the reason that I can say this is because when I was younger the first person I ever came out to was my best friend and um it was for the reason that he had um opened up to me and the reason that I never knew he was gay um was because he was just I thought it was normal he was just telling me well I want to be a girl and I want to do these things but everybody says it's wrong and he had opened up to not just me but our guidance counselor and um it wasn't told to his parents but when he ended up opening up to his parents who he trusted um trigger warning abuse he got hurt very badly by his parents and I had to come to school the next day knowing that my best friend was hurt by his parents for the reason the same reason I was able to go home and be fine and the point of this is that no no nobody can assume what's going to happen in a child's home not their friend not their teacher not their principal not the Board of Education nobody knows what's going to happen in a child's home and being gay is just a part of some who somebody is being trans is a part of somebody who somebody is I am non-binary and I am lucky to have a very accepting family Maybe all of them but I am lucky to have those few people who I trust who I will go up to and tell them my about my identity about my sexuality but don't you think if a student or just a person in general isn't telling somebody something about their identity there's a reason instead of outing this instead of outright outing the students don't you think you should be looking on what's going on at home I mean it's a student can't randomly choose to be gay one day but they can grow up an abusive household and I will keep staying please please with the power that you have don't take away trans kids rights keep policy 5756 thank you uh IA from South Amboy Jola from South Amboy Jola from South ambo Jula Jula from okay Dal me K Dennis Flores Brett for that i' like to remind the and respectful conduct are expected during the public speaking session so if we could make that please ma'am ma'am please people are clapping people are not backing we're just going to let that little flow until person speaks but we do we do need everyone to be respectful to the president when he when he's talking call the next person up we can't hear if you're clapping and you're not going to be able to good shocking things right good evening board members and fellow community members my name is Brett Baker and I live in Edison and my pronouns are he him I stand here as an advocate and an ally but as a husband a parent a former educator of 15 years and someone deeply committed to both my children and the educational environment we're building here in Edison our son is a first grader at James and row and our almost three-year-old daughter will join him there soon my wife's already given you our story I was taking them home from Bedtime I've got to acknowledge it's bizarre and a little bit weird to be here as a parent of a child in this school system and listening to people making arguments against my own children's rights I'm here tonight because I believe in the value of an education system that prioritizes our children's well-being safety and rights I could tell you what I know about policy 5756 but there have been a plenty and a ton of tremendous speakers who have the life and lived experiences that are most impacted by policy 5756 and you deserve to hear and remember those words from them tonight I'm here before you as a parent and a former educator and I must remind you as a taxpayer I stand before you as a former educator who has made mistakes at a school I worked at in the past we had a transgender student and I will own that early on I did not handle things the best it's hard as a teacher to admit your mistakes I look back at those times now and I wish I had handled things differently I wish I had done things differently I wish I was more Curious I wish I sought to understand but since those days I have vowed to remain relentlessly curious to remain relentlessly open-minded to ensure that my eyes and my ears never close to the issues facing all of our students but especially some of our most vulnerable populations as a former educator I understand the enormous trust parents place in schools and I have that now as a parent parents must trust the Educators the administration and of course the school board to make decisions that are rooted in research and a deep understanding of our children's needs that is why I unequivocally trust nearly every decision made by the adults in our son's life at James and bro and at the central office under Dr Elli's tremendous leadership collectively every adult under Dr Elli's leadership is working together to execute a vision that demands nothing less than Excellence for all of our students from our gifted and talented Learners to our exceptional Learners and every student in between despite the glaringly obvious distractions such as this move and this action until recently I extended that trust to this board confident that each decision was made in the best interest of our students of my children but the recent handling of policy 5756 has broken that trust I trusted the Board of Education to make sound fiscal decisions and strong policy decisions grounding every single decision and research and the Gathering of facts from all involved it is with a heavy heart that I stand before this body tonight to say that I do not trust the nine of you collectively up there it is neither melodramatic nor hyperbolic to say that the one expectation I have had consistently of this board in this District since I moved to Edison in 2016 and began attending meetings was to ensure that this board this District gathered the input of all stakeholders involved when making decisions that's why I celebrated when NIS had brought on two high school student leaders I was certain we would listen to student voices on issues boy was I wrong I have shared time and time again that the student voice must be considered at worst heard at best and should guide nearly all decisions this board makes after all our kids my kids are our greatest asset our kids are of utmost importance our kids deserve our prot protection I was appalled to read about and then watch with my own eyes the previous board meeting I was appalled to watch this board treat each other with such disrespect so as to not even warrant a discussion about such an important matter that impacts my children and others I've been appalled at the misinformation I've heard before and since that meeting and some of the comments I've read in a petition that is knowingly being circulated by certain members of this board and those affiliated with this action let me be clear the five votes last month to repeal this policy essentially told me that my children's rights do not matter and I have said for many years before this body and throughout Edison I may not like the backro deals or the bickering on the dice I may not like the sneaky off hours decisions that are made or the compromises to save face but this this crosses the line I will always draw the line when it comes to something that impedes on the rights of my children or other children you all claim to have the best interest of children in mind yet have allowed the have allowed the rhetoric in this town about this issue to devolve into such a horrifying State the pure misinformation is staggering and appalling and shows a blatant disregard to facts research and even a genuine interest to understand the situation I need this board and future boards to understand that in the wake of a global pandemic we have academic learning outcomes that need to improve dramatically and urgently I need this board to understand the threat of gun violence is real say nothing about the threat of gun violence in our schools I need this board to take seriously that the teaching profession and working in schools is a difficult one and one that is gross underpaid grossly undervalued and grossly underappreciated and I need this board and I need future boards and I need everyone to understand that every single child no matter their age no matter their gender no matter their race ethnicity or religion and absolutely certainly not their sexual orientation or gender identity every child regardless of all of those things deserve as a basic right the right to be loved and I woke up the morning after this meeting and questioned if this board loved my child the way I love them the right to be cared for the right to be understood and the right to feel safe every day when they walk into school by taking away a child's right to make the decision about who knows what about themselves is the antithesis to what an educational institution should stand for and it's disrespectful to this parent who believes that all children have rights and while I may have questions at times about what's going on it causes me to seek to understand our students and community members deserve a board that models respect and sound decision-making and I urge this board with a remainder of my time to vote no on this motion thank you next is uh Dyan Dyan Christian from medicon hello my name is Dylan Christian uh my municipality is Edison New Jersey um I am ass cisgender queer male and I'm I'm going to be reading a letter uh that was sent by Rashmi Ashwin and Ashwin subam to the Edison Board of Education our younger one identifies as a boy since 2020 last year socially as well as in school he began using the Heim pronounce he completed middle school and started High School this year there were there was a marked difference in his engagement in academic social and extracurricular activities when he could freely Express and share his real self he's back to his bubbly personality has good friends and looks forward to pursuing his passion in photography acceptance understanding and complete support at school and in local community are crucial for our kids who spend so much time there each day despite State guidelines policies our kids face a lot of bullying and we need to and we need to be doing much more to protect them rather than repealing existing protections we urge School administrators staff and fellow parents to support our kids in difficult journey to fulfill their dreams and Lead productive lives sincerely Rashmi Ashwin and Ashwin superum uh voting no to repeal uh policy 5756 thank you thank you jimie zuk from Princeton hi my name is Jamie Zug Princeton's my business address I live in Bordentown New Jersey good evening president Patel and members of the board I am an attorney I'm transgender my pronouns are he they I want to start with two important caveats I've had the opportunity to present a number of times on policy 5756 but I'm not a school law attorney and I welcome correction on anything that I say tonight from any school law attorneys um second this is going to be very boring and uh extremely neutral so I apologize for putting everybody to sleep but I wanted to uh provide a little bit of clarification about policy 5756 so that the board can make an informed decision tonight um first revoking policy 5756 will not cause parental notification regarding the gender identity of any students I think that there's often um a a misconception that is voiced in board meetings regarding policy 5756 a board member will be very concerned about parental notification will be highly motivated um to have parents notified regarding their children's gender identity and for that reason we'll seek to revoke policy 5756 seemingly without um clarification that that result will not happen with the revocation of policy 5756 all revoking policy 5756 does is remove policy 5756 it doesn't achieve um anything other than that for that reason um if if in considering how you are going to vote tonight if one thing you are hoping to accomplish is to uh have parents receive notice in connection with their children's gender identity I urge you to consider abstaining or uh voting against revocation because uh you will not be able to achieve what you are intending to achieve second there's litigation as as has been mentioned a few times pending regarding parental notification and policy 5756 right now that litigation is pending in two Statewide fora it's pending in the appell division of the superior court of New Jersey there's oral arguments scheduled for that on November 19th it's going to be live streamed we can all watch it um the decisions from the Appel division are binding Statewide additionally litigation is uh pending on the parental notification issue in the um office of administrative uh uh law uh that's another Statewide Forum um it's related litigation so with those two points in mind um I I'd like to take this opportunity to reframe what's at stake here tonight this is a low stakes vote um this vote does not need to be and should not be along ideological lines a vote against revoking policy 5756 does not mean that you are against parental notification you can support parental notification and vote no tonight um it should not be understood as such by the by the community I think that every member of this community expects this board to make um informed decisions that make good use of their um of of their resources and I urge the board to consider voting in terms of what you what you seek to accomplish tonight and if you're not sure what revoking policy 5756 would accomplish I urge you to consider abstaining or voting against revocation thank you thank you next is uh Reverend Dr L do good evening I'm Reverend Dr LL Duell I'm retired United Church of Christ clergywoman but I'm not here to talk about anything religious I wanted to talk to you about my experience as a High School drama coach and for several years right here in Edison New Jersey sorry Highland Park New Jersey I'm sorry it's very late I know um in my role as a high school English teacher and drama coach at both JP Stevens and also WRA Wilson Middle School it was a great joy to watch young people grow and Blossom and become fully themselves and as the drama coach I had a lot of opportunity to work very closely with these young people and as you can imagine many of them confided in me serious secrets that they had in their hearts as their personalities grew and I have to tell you about one young man named Joe at that time he was Joe he came into my office one day and he sat down and he said I'm gonna tell you something and after I tell you you're not going to like me anymore I said there's nothing you can tell me that would do that and it turned out that Joe was dealing with his identity and he had no safe place to go he had been self-medicating and he was perilously close to harming himself or committing suicide had I been required to tell someone about that confidence one of two things would have happened if Joe knew he was not safe confiding in me he would not have told me and this beautiful young human being would no longer be on this Earth the other thing that might have happened is if he told me and then I told his parents to whom whom he was very frightened uh telling then that trust that I had built with him would have been irrevocably broken his parents would have acted out against him and again this young person would no longer be on this Earth and so from personal experience and many other experiences of young people sharing not only their gender identity and their gender or their orientation with me but also all the little delightful things in their lives that I was privy to please don't take that away from teachers if the students feel they cannot trust their teachers to keep their confidences barring of course self-injury then you're taking away not only a student safety but one of the main reasons we teach you're a wonderful board of education for sitting here so along this evening and I do thank you for listening thank you next is uh Cindy ma my name is Cindy Ma I'm from Edison and it would be like a little helpful if you guys mention what number because you know like I think I'm Number 44 right thank you anyway you know a lot of people have you know on on this on this Podium they said so many statistics but there are there statistics on other sides of about you know like um uh uh children committing suicide and you know um because they're you know um it's because they're confused okay uh children need their parents and I think what a lot of people are saying is is using this as oh the parents will you know like uh disagree with them the parents will will be angry with them you know there are exceptions but generally parents love their kids you know so basically what people are I keep keep say say if parents disagree with their kids they're wrong and that they will abuse their kids and they will reject their kids I think that's that's a lie okay um so you know I just feel like we cannot make rules so whatever a child fears that they are right we should make rules for that and we should protect the child I mean children at a certain age okay they're they're their brain is not developed until the 25 okay so you know if they feel the par how many people have grown up and their parents have never you know um have have disagreed with the parents so so we should make a policy for that because the par they disagree agree with parents and you know um it doesn't make sense and there's so many psychologist and um studies that show that um children eventually grow out of the gender dysphoria in fact there's so many people and there there's this hospitals in um in England who ban child aering care because of all the lawsuits of the you know depression suicide comes from you know all the puberty blockers and all the medication that these children have you know are taking to help to help affirm them supposedly okay parents in general are there to love their parents regardless if you know if they're confused if they if they if they choose to change his denda parents are there for their children parents cannot be kept in the dark because of that and you know it's a it's a god-given um con constitutional rights for parents to be involved and when parents are um policy U 5756 basically um is anti-parent okay and um and it's it's just like I'm in September 30th you abolished this this policy and it's it's basically just common sense allowing parents to be parents and not discriminating parents because they disagree with their child okay and um what um people keep saying that policy 5756 um never had any um when it was put in there there was you know uh forced in there there was there was never any public input it went under under the radar and now that it has been tried to repeal now that you have to have a second vote I feel like this is not fair you know because of this second vote um and also you know um it was it it went underneath the radar so so you know now that it's trying to repeal that there's so much intimidation involved with all these statistics about you know um you know kids being kicked out of their homes being homeless and being fearful um children teenagers will go through this with their parents and their parents will lovingly love them through this you cannot and children's feelings should not be their God they should not worship their feelings we you know they need people they need you know love is not love okay um God is love so if they have any deviation it's because of the internal truths that's in with that's given within them so I hope that you know that the B the board members who voted to you know um to revoke this policy that you know that you will be considered an honor to be persecuted for what doing what's right and on the side of Truth you stand on your convictions that you vote and the next generation will thank you and um I also sent you video which you know so there's so much evidence of people detransitioning so much evidence they were saying they were asking the do where were you when I when I made this mistake they have so many people who regretted it this you know and again like in England the the the the trans affirming care has been banned they've been lawsuit and I sent you a video video of this policy hijacked her daughter to it it puts a wedge between her and the parents and and and she had to fight to get her get her daughter back okay so I feel like you know the next generation is worth fighting for thank you for your time thank you for you know um being strong and doing what's right thank you then finny Dan Dan finny Dan Finny the gentleman okay good evening uh Dan Fanny um Colts next right as I started out before I do appreciate and thank each one of you for serving your community so I have heard an awful lot about how dangerous parents are I really didn't know it was that bad and I think we need warning labels folks I am also concerned about children's safety and I think you are doing the right thing in repealing 50 756 what started out as online influence turned into a social contagion and now is a large movement the problem is we are talking about children minor children and this policy doesn't distinguish between 5-year-olds or 15year olds yet in the policy we are to affirm without question without diagnosis or any other criteria their feelings based ideas about gender when they can't possibly even understand what they haven't experienced kids are very impressionable and they are in fact being groomed by mostly adults who want to live vicariously through our young children while claiming to be looking out for their best interests and their rights actually all these here feeling that threat that threatened uh feeling threatened by 5756 should be imploring you to get rid of it because it is very divisive and is a basis for re resentment for other from other kids and in other ways in the military differences are Stripped Away from the first day of boot camp to focus on what is in common to build a team I could go on about that about why and how that is and some of the psychologists in here should look that into that area of their field we already have the lad we have anti-bullying all kids should be treated with the same respect and the same privileges this policy was Ill advised inappropriate and unconstitutional it is harmful on several levels but especially by infringing on parental rights roles and responsibilities these are inali rights they are not negotiable I hope and pray you stay the course it was never mandatory and it's not helpful and I understand that you've been put in a very difficult position because of the way this policy was disseminated and that people don't fully understand what the policy is and what it isn't and what the implications of it are but it is not a threat to the the lgbtq community to have a school environment without a another separate policy because we need to bring kids together we need to have mutual respect and we need to have a focus on academic excellence and education and teach kids how to learn not what to think thank you very much do me do mean Vice I'm loud I don't want that to be too loud okay good evening uh my name is tasmin Weber I accept she her pronouns and I live in heightstown New Jersey I also work at Ruckers University and have been in the field of sexed for a decade I train Educators and other Prof professionals as well as parents across the country but most of my work is right here in New Jersey including teaching schools how to be inclusive of their queer students and covering the nuances of policy 5756 this district has multiple times asked me to provide education to students and PD to teachers I also happen to be a graduate from right here at Edison High after 13 years in the public school system so you can imagine just how upset I was when I learned that my home District was trying to illegally resend policy 5756 I always considered a privilege that I grew up in Edison because of its Rich diversity and acceptance I had lots of queer friends growing up and it was a wonderful experience I've been working with districts across the state that are going above and beyond the policies like 5756 and so it's very disappointing to know that my home district is trying to go backwards we need to protect our students it is clear that by being here tonight or sitting on the board you all care deeply about your children and want to protect them after all that is supposed to be the point of trying to remove this policy what many are struggling to grasp is that the confidentiality piece is not a requirement so if your kids know that you love them unconditionally you don't have to worry I ask that you think about the children and fames the policy was intended for children and families whose parents won't accept their trans child and will become emotionally Andor physically abusive neglectful or just kick them out on the street we don't want to think about that happening but unfortunately the reality is that it does transgender youth face some of the highest rates of bullying harassment sexual assault homelessness physical and psychological abuse at home as you all have heard the statistics tonight so we need to protect our students prior to 2019 when this policy was passed by the over 600 school districts in New Jersey I Pro I was providing a professional development and a teacher shared that he had a student struggling with their identity and decided to call the parent who he knew well in the hopes that they could work together to help that student so the teacher made that phone call home and the next day that student showed up to school with a black eye I don't know about you all but I don't know if I could live with myself knowing that I was the reason that a child was harmed so we can protect our students by trusting that they know their home life better than we do because they do school counselors share with me that the majority of trans students do involve their families the students who choose not to are usually fearful of how their Guardian might react or already know they would not be accepted by denying our students the ability to have at least one space where they can confide in a trusted adult and get to experience their school day in a way that makes them feel comfortable in their own skin we are harming our students if you're thinking they can just wait until they're older we have significant research that Prov that social acceptance for transgender youth significantly improves mental health outcomes and reduces suicidal ideations and attempts we also know that young people uh there was a research study put out back in 2021 following young people who socially transitioned at the elementary school level they were followed for five years and close to 98% of them maintained their trans identity at the end of five years so no this is not simply a phase or something that they will grow out of Edison Township has an office of diversity equity and inclusion whose mission is to ensure that all students feel safe welcomed and included in school they also aim to foster a welcoming and supportive environment where all members of the school feel valued heard and seen preventing students from being their true selves when they spend the majority of their time in school is not allowing students who need it the most to be seen or heard it's silencing them the attempt to change these policies is purely political and is not motivated by a desire to help young people in fact it was very clear the only research done on policy 5756 was whether you all could get away with resending it instead of learning about trans Youth and their needs I have also provided training for Board of EDS across the state and would be happy to provide a training free of cost to ensure that this board actually understands the policies that it's voting on and if you do decide to resend this policy as others have mentioned there will be legal consequences and for the taxpayers here that means taxpayer money being wasted on legal fees and we saw the presentation earlier that showed that homeless students and students living in poverty those rates are going up so that money should be be prioritized for helping them if you want to make sure that your child won't keep their gender identity from you then make sure that you're a parent that your child feels safe coming out to thank you letia from men good evening members of the board and Community my name is Leticia Kau I live in man alipin and I'm a former resident of Edison my daughter attended Edison schools I volunteered for over a decade as a domestic violence response Advocate and trainer for Edison and matachin and I currently volunteer with Casa of middle sex County as a court appointed special advocate for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect I'm here tonight as a strong supporter of transgender rights I want to speak today about the essential role that our schools play in creating safe inclusive environments for all students especially those who are transgender as a parent it has always been my deepest hope that my children will grow up in a world where they feel safe and supported a world where they can express who they truly are without fear for many students school is a place where they can begin to understand and explore their identity in a way that may not always be be possible at home and for some transgender students being able to keep their identity private is absolutely essential to their safety and well-being I know that confidentiality around a student's identity is often viewed as controversial some argue that parents should always be informed about such aspects of their child's life but the reality is that not every child has a supportive home environment and Outing a young person before they're ready can lead to severe consequences from emotional distress to outright rejection homelessness or death in my volunteer capacities I have seen firsthand that not every child has the privilege of a safe and supportive home with parents who will always put their children first according to a study published in 2018 almost half of LGBT Q Plus youth in state custody report they were removed ran away or were thrown out of their homes for reasons directly related to their identity transgender youth like all young people deserve respect dignity and autonomy over their own lives they deserve a place where they can express their identity without fear that this might cause upheaval at home and let's be clear confidentiality doesn't take parents out of the equation entirely it allows students to choose when and how they share their identity in a way that's safe for them Studies have shown that when transgender youth have just one supportive adult in their life their risk of depression and other negative mental health outcomes decreases significantly sometimes that one supportive adult is a parent and sometimes it's a teacher a school counselor or a trusted coach but by protecting students privacy we're allowing them the opportunity to find that adult and receive the support they desperately need I urge the board to consider the very real lives at stake to prioritize the mental and emotional health of these young people to uphold policies that respect transgender students rights to confidentiality and to be who they are without fear because when schools lead with understanding and compassion they're not just protecting students privacy they're saving lives thank you thank you Ron Mack good evening thank you for uh working here at the Board of Education um I am saying excuse me sir your name Ron Mack orridge um thank you for working here and doing this and thank please resend 5756 it was not adopted by 600 schools as was just said it was forced on 600 schools as a mandatory which was erroneous and and now that's why it's being rescinded somebody said uh you're going to be the first to to do this to to date and this is a very partial list here's the schools that have rescinded 5756 Hanover cnck Oldbridge hell Howell Lacy Lafayette Millstone Sparta Sussex Wantage m m m on Aberdine Union Township Franklin Township Long Valley kinan Bernard Township Washington Township Morris County vinand monteu Township Franklin Lakes Middle School Franklin Lakes High School Monro Township Gloucester County Roxbury bellw and East Brunswick so these are this is not the complete list this is just so far and there's more coming all the time why is that why are these schools doing this cuz they have such evil intent or some people keep there's three people that have said talked about litigation and legal legalities your job is to protect the children that's your first and foremost prop uh job and to foresee into the future with your uh outside counsel or your lawyer lawyers your JD to see what's coming down the road and where uh Ed where this Edison could be in just a few short years down the road there's two El there's an elephant in the room and a gorilla in the room and it's only been mentioned once in the last 5 hours each one of them one is that that we're talking about minors a minor is under the age of 18 and for the last 350 Years in New Jersey the parents are responsible for the kids whether they want to be or not it's just the law of the land the gorilla in the room is only been mentioned once is detransitioning this is a growing industry it's new uh $2.1 billion industry transitioning uh following right behind it is legality if you got a pencil you might want to write down you can Google it in 10 minutes anybody can Khloe Cole c h l o e Chloe Cole CLE she spoke before Congress she was uh guided this way as a minor and then when she reached adulthood she's come back and sued a lot of people that guided her down this road so you if you people talking about protecting Edison from lawsuits resend 5756 why do you think all these towns that I just mentioned who each one of them has their own lawyer outside counsel JD that was involved in all these decisions why do you think they did that thank you you g kav hello I my name is Carl cavillo I'm an Edison resident uh good evening ladies gentlemen and non-binaries of the board uh you've actually heard from my younger brother Kevin he was one of the letters that was uh read to you um but I stand here as uh both a former student of the Edison school system system uh third grade through 12th and also as a father uh of a current student my son attends Thomas Chevon Middle School um and I know it's getting late I'm sure we're all very tired I do want to thank all these wonderful people for sharing all their opinions and uh making their voices heard um as a father I'm very concerned um about the direction this whole thing seems to be going um I do think your number one priority should be protecting all of your students all of our children um I specifically moved back here to Edison uh when I knew I was going to be a father uh so that my son could go through the same school system that I knew to be a great one um your attitude towards your students uh makes me greatly uh it concerns me um that you can be so callous in disregarding the safety of any of our students and especially our most marginalized students um they deserve to feel safe just like my son feels safe um as far as I know and if it changes in the future I'm confident that he'll share it with me uh he is not transgender he is cisgender um but I'm confident that if he feels differently that he would share it with me and I'm not going to rely on the school district his teachers or his principles or anyone else uh to inform me of that um I think a lot of the concerned parents here were concerned about parent parental rights um I I have no doubt that they're also great parents to the their student to their children um and maybe they just feel like they're the ones being attacked by something like this being on uh you know District policy like I'm I'm a good parent um why are you trying to take away something you know from me uh my children you know I deserve to know what's going on with my children's lives um but as many people have pointed out here this policy is not directed towards you um I don't know if any of you actually have transgender kids or gay kids uh just generally nonheterosexual kid children um this policy is not really for you and you're you're advocating for putting children in danger and I think that's very shameful um for the board for the members that have already shown us that you don't care about the safety of our children by voting to repeal this uh last month um I think it's shameful that it takes all these wonderful people standing before you and explaining just how how to be a decent person just te treat people with some empathy some basic Humanity um it's it's it really should be that simple and it's sad that these basic things that I've taught my son as he's growing up about empathy and treating people how you want to be treated um for some reason that gets lost on a lot of us as we grow older and um I just sincerely hope that you find your way back to those very basic and human um qualities that I'm sure you all have and um and I sincerely hope that you consider all of that when you vote to repeal or to um uphold this policy um it's very clear unless you're completely ignoring everything that you've heard tonight um why this policy is important um if a vote to repeal it at this point I feel like you're being willfully ignorant or you have some kind of ulterior motive involved um your priority is definitely not the safety of our children um I'm going to be voting later this month and um you know prior to today and hearing all these stories I didn't know much about any of you guys but now I can see who you are and um I'll let my opinion be known at The Ballot Box uh but I do hope and pray that you do the right thing by our children and um yeah I guess that's it thank you thank you Yash Balaji yes Balaji Deepa Patel Shilpa karney hello excuse me good evening members of the Edison Board of Education parents and community members am I excuse me excuse me your name and I'm coming to that right away my name is Shela Kulkarni I am a Livingston mom and president co-founder of a local nonprofit shev's thir ey shev's thir ey works in the space of Youth Mental Health and lgbtq Ally ship I'm speaking here tonight as a mother of 14-year-old teenage gay son sh who we lost to Suicide you haven't heard you have heard a number of appeals so far to reconsider the repealment of policy 5756 in your school district I support that and I would like to start with shf story my son shev was one of the most gifted in academics talented in music Sports and well-liked by his student his peers all in all a picture of poster child that most South Asian parents would love to have so at the age of 14 when we got exposed to the internal struggle with ex with his sexuality and his mental health we were confused apprehensive and Ill prepared we gave him all the support we could during that time but we simply didn't understand or appreciate the nuances of his reality we were learning and learning fast but we obviously were limited by our knowledge our upbringing and what we were exposed to we had given him the help from various providers psychologist psychiatrist different kinds of therapists CBT DBT yoga therapy hypnotherapy dance therapy multiple puas too which my South Ian friends would understand and some more but in July of 2021 8 to 9 months after he was outed accidentally through his phone to us we lost him we suffered the most horrific unimaginable painful loss and our lives have been shattered Forever This is short in our this is in short our story why am I telling this story to a room full of strangers because I hope it helps to bring the message of what is at stake because I wish I was exposed to queerness and understood it before it came home maybe my child would have felt confident in himself and maybe he would have been here to talk to you all I can't bring him back but the only thing I can do is talk to all the parents like you and hope you would understand and hope there is no other shift now let's talk about the policy 5756 the intent of the policy is to protect students giving them space to explore who they are without fear of being outed or judged for some of these children a school counselor a trusted teacher or simply knowing they are protected by policies like this could make all the difference between hope and despair I understand that as parents it is natural some for most of South Asian parents I would say to feel that I have every right to know what's happening in my child's life it is natural to feel fear fear of the unknown fear of our child struggling and fear of things we don't fully understand trust me I have been there but fear should not dictate the future of our children's well-being our love for our child is not the same as the support that we can provide for them the child needs space and time we have to give them that we need to lean on Experts and research that tell us what works acceptance support and safety I have heard someone say earlier let's focus on what's important the academics my son was still academic Ally excelling till the last day of his life while he was struggling I heard let's bring respect to the parents for the parents back I don't want to demand that respect I want to earn it and I want my child here I do not want respect aren't the parents that bad that they are that they they are are are the parents that bad is something that I heard they are not bad they are misinformed if you are putting a child in a swimming lesson and if you can't swim which I can't you won't insist on telling the instructor exactly how you are teaching them to swim you would trust them this is the same the teachers and the counselors know how to support these children they are really not giving they are really giving them emotional support and guidance and the confidence there is no treatment or influence here the treatment is not given by anybody the nurse doesn't touch a child without parents permission so do not expect that from the teachers or the counselors but by repealing this policy children will not go to the counselors with the fear of being outed to their parents I I'm sorry I'm going to to run out of time but I really implore all you parents to realize that this is not a political decision if you guys have any questions about my experience or what I have learned please contact me I do not mind at all being contacted and I I really hope that you do vote no for the repeal thank you thank you and uh very sorry for your loss and wherever your son is hopefully his soul rest in peace next is rinda gopal Manon norinda gopal Manon uh Shan Highland hi thank you Bor my name is uh Sean Highland I'm the director of advocacy for the New Jersey family policy Center I know he getting very late late and appreciate your time this evening and I value everyone's voices and experiences here tonight and I agree with many of them especially that last story we just heard I'm sorry Sean Highland from the family policy Center Warren New Jersey Warren New Jersey I apologize no good but I do want to talk about the policy and the facts and so I have a few numbers here I want to throw out to to the board this evening one is the number four the number four New Jersey is ranked fourth in the nation for the worst problems of bullying in schools and online yet for some reason there's this false narrative out there that moms and dads are the problem but yet the statistics show that most of the bullying and the intimidation and and the hardships that youth go through when they are struggling with their gender isn't happening at home it's happening at schools so why are we blaming loving moms and dads for taking care of their children and trying to make them the problem and not the solution doesn't make a lot of sense and intentionally keeping parents in the dark about their child's social and emotional well-being such as their gender identity is unethical and it's dangerous I mean teachers are mandatory reporters there is a division of child protection and permanency if there's actual abuse then you should call the state department that handles those cases but to keep all parents in the dark about their child's mental health and emotional well-being is again irresponsible and a gross violation of parent the rights another number I want to throw out there is number 27 27 school boards have already repealed and rescinded this policy there's been no negative outcome to to those school districts there's been no harm to any student there there's been no rise and abuse in those communities these types of of situations that are being presented tonight is not reflective of those 27 communities have already repealed policy 5756 and I'm sure that won't reflect the community of Edison either if you repeal 5756 which I urge you to do so so there is no harm and there is no threat to repealing 5756 as our other gentleman said earlier when it comes to Legal situations only the three school boards that tweaked or modified the policy for some reason got actions taken by the Attorney General but the 27 who repealed it no actions were taken and even sh Esme admitted in in the media that the mandatory marking on the policy was a mistake it was never mandatory to begin with so there be no legal ramifications and the third number is number 81 81 according to Mammoth University polling in August of 2023 the ex-residents in New Jersey do you think a parent should be notified of their child's gender identity at school if it's different than the school registration records 81% of New Jersey parents said yes parents should be notified you know why you don't have thousands of parents here tonight demanding you repeal the policy is because they're afraid they're afraid of being harassed and intimidated and bullied so they don't come out and speak their opinions but yet they strong strong L urge you overwhelmingly urge you 81% of parents according to MTH University think parents should be notified of their child's gender identity at school when it's different than their identity at home so I urge you guys tonight to make the final vote repeal policy 5756 and protect the rights of parents and children thank you guys Kim from Oldbridge Kim yes go ahead okay good evening uh my name is Kim Linley I am from Oldbridge a former special education teacher okay my name is Kim Linley mom a former special education teacher and a resident of Oldbridge I would like to start out by saying thank you for being brave courageous and courageous for keeping focus on what's best for the children the decisions that make that you that you make have long lasting implications on the lives on the children and families of our of your school district these decisions that you decide upon will have long lasting effects the far exceed them attending the Edison school district the safety and the academics of your student population far reaches these School walls in which they are under your care policy policy 5756 has far-reaching implications on the family dynamic student lives and how it can alter Society children are a gift from God who have entrusted to to their parents and not of a school district parents are legally and morally responsible for the well-being of their children from birth to day 18 years old the basic needs of a child are Provident by are provided by the parent and if they fail to meet the basic needs they'll be held accountable there are there to be in in INSP they are to be inspired to inspired to learn and interact with other students and teachers policy 5756 creates a lack of trust between parents and teachers teachers who encourage clear communication lines have no now have a barrier between them and the parent the student is now able to make independent decisions that can and are life altering Division division between the two most prominent people in a child's development are now at odds when and how does a parent know when the teacher is telling the truth the child is now living two separate lives which can cause the one in the one they who they depend on on for everything is in the dark is in the dark of what is going on a separate file a different name a social worker who can act in lie of the parent and make a moral decisions a child can determine when they want the parents to know what is going on are just a few parts of policy 5756 are parental rights in question when has a child been able to make these complex decisions when the prefrontal cortex of a brain does not start developing to the age of 13 there's so much to discuss this evening however since it is late and I have some time thank the Lord um one of the articles I read tonight has to do do with the mom in California mom went 100,000 payout from school over socially transitioned daughter a California school district has reportedly settled a lawsuit B boy mother who said her daughter was socially transitioned without her permission for $100,000 Jessica Conan Su the spectacles Union School District claimed teachers of brona buav Vista Mel High School have secretly encouraged her daughter Alicia and then 11 to change her gender identity the school forced her identification as a boy gave articles on how to conceal her new gender identity from her family and put on her gender support plan that instructed School staff to refer by a mail and male proman according to the center of American Liberty the legal group that represented them I mean tonight there was so much information being thrown thrown out we'd be here till like tomorrow morning which maybe probably won't be uh and so what I decided also to share um was that the brain which was discussed at 13 the prefontal cortex is is beginning to develop and the hormones and the your identity is slowly gradually um beginning so if I can get this correct H the article which I have which I will send at what age is the brain fully developed okay what it states is a widely debated as to which age the brain is considered a fully mature or developed in the past the many experts believe that the brain may have been devel been done developing in the mid to late teens then Along Came some evidence address that development May last until at least 20 these days a consensus of neuro neuroscientists again agree that the brain development likely persist in at least the mid 20s and possibly the 30s um so what I wanted to discuss in one of the issues is that the the complex planning of a brain the pre-fund cortex region is a responsible for complex planning anytime you set a goal that requires some degree of planning youre fontal region is at work planning out tasks in your day developing a business plan Etc uh the next portion of your brain decision making when we often struggle to make good decisions when we are teenagers but as we enter our 20s our decision making improves this is due to the fact that our prefrontal cortex helps us think logically and make more calculated assessments of situations our brain weighs the risk and tells us whether a certain Behavior or choice is a good idea versus a bad one I had elementary school children and the two most important people to a child is the teacher and the parent so I can't imagine having this in there and and giving that responsibility to a teacher we are educated to teach these children in various subjects however not equipped to do to uh handle these children with dysphoria that's why we had social workers in our classrooms that we would call on or psychologists in development of an IEP and the last uh article I just want to tell you about because let make my life running short is a Florida Florida mom the filed suit hold let me say that one second this article and I'll send it to you is stalker with health results of puberty blockers study for political reasons report I just don't understand when can you submit your child to the school as a parent and you're legally responsible until they're 18 I have a 28-year-old sometimes doesn't even know what she wants to do so you're going to allow elementary schools to be leaded by their CH their their teacher it's very easily to be guided so I just want to thank you for your time and everything this evening that been a late night for everybody thank you uh Caleb from Albridge hi my name is Caleb Harman I'm 17 years old and I am from Oldbridge um first I actually want to take some time to thank the school board um I know it's late I know everyone here is absolutely exhausted and has work in the morning but you guys are here and you guys are listening to us and that's what's important so thank you for that but um first um I actually wanted to congratulate you guys for voting to eliminate policy 5756 this policy rather than protecting students makes it so that parental involvement is more difficult repealing this policy will not somehow Force queer students back into the closet and turn teachers into Watchdogs who note every passing IM to their student sexuality rather it will encourage open lines of communication between students and parents there's one thing I know about schools and public establishments have inced Public Library it's that assistance and volunteering is always needed you all work long hours and have to fill jobs you don't have to and that contributes to a sense of stretching that I've noticed in talking to Educators parental involvement is needed in the school system and parental involvement can only come through trust between a student student and a parent so then why should we expect students to be involved with this school that is withholding critical information with about their child as a school if you pass this policy the message you were sending to these student parents who you are asking to be involved is that you do not respect them and yet still want their time attention and money ultimately that harms a student more than anything high schoolers and people in general we not an island and we deserve to have a community who knows what's going on in our lives and then who then can help and with the issues that we deal with who are equipped to help us we've heard a lot of people talk about a parent's responsibility and rights today however a parent cannot fulfill their responsibility if their rights are not upheld think about it this way if I told you you needed to run a marathon and give you no running shoes how could you ever be expected to run a marathon it would be difficult if you're wearing like regular shoes a lot harder it's still possible but it's very hard in that same way how can you expect parents to effectively raise their children in the best way possible while not being privy to their children going through such a difficult process I would also like to address the concern that I've heard that teachers will become Watchdogs waiting to Appo the student at the first mentioned of the word gay or trans do you really think that teachers have their best student who have their best students best interest in mind will be so cloying and demanding repealing this policy won't magically turn these teachers into violent bigots who run to their parents at the first sign of anything but it will keep parents involved without the school sitting by if the student is abused and of course we have also heard a lot about abuse and abuse of family structures and the claim that uh children will be abused if policy 5757 uh 5756 is repealed and I want to address that by saying that abuse does not happen because of whatever reason the abuser gives regardless of the reason the abuser gives anything or and everything will draw the anger of abusive parents statistically another massive Catalyst for abuse is the issue of report cards and parental notification of grades if we were to tiptoe around all parents and fear of poking the bear of the minority of abusive parents we would remove all rules and structure that the student could come against including parental notification of grades ultimately the school district cannot act as dius and despite wanting the very best for every student that comes in and out of your classrooms every single day you as a job at school have to know that your job is to teach and to report abuse if a student is being harmed and that child can come to the teacher and that teacher can report to the state as needed in conclusion as a teenager where things Rush by the seat of light with college applications and job interviews and term papers and all that stuff and all the excitement moving into adulthood things tend to feel more complicated uh I know personally the transition to adulthood can make has made me feel like everything's against you and you need help and assistance from others repealing 5756 gives you guys the unique opportunity to be the community that each student reserves uh enforcing a more pronounced student teacher and parent relationship now as a school board it is your job to hear what we are saying and take that and ultimately it's your job as a school board to protect the children the best way you can and having heard everything and having heard the way you will not be sued the way that it is more ultimately more helpful to a child more helpful that this policy is repealed why would you not come on guys please thank you Jennifer Wood my name is Jennifer Woodruff and I live in Morganville and I'm a prior resident of Edison um first I want to thank the board for putting up with us tonight and spending all this time and and for your dedication to the town and the children I think that there were a lot of comments made against you tonight which were uncalled for and the the fact that I apologize for them because you shouldn't be subject to uh comments that if you don't repeal if you repeal 5756 that you know children will commit suicide that is just so so unfair um we heard tonight that 5756 if it's abolished there won't be any protection for the trans students well we know that there's as it was mentioned before we have Title 9 we have lad we have Hib policies we have Dei I mean how many more policies do we need uh it's it's to the point of Ridiculousness um I've been to a lot of board meetings and half the meetings are spent on Hib policies I don't know where the academics have gone but it seems like that has become not a priority anymore and we have to get back to the basics um the reason I go to board meetings is because I care about the kids and I know that it's going to be hard for some people to believe this but it has become a social contagion uh gender dysphoria was very very very small percentage and it's really blossomed and it's because of um ALU you know influencers on the internet and a lot of it happened during covid and if if people don't want to believe that and I hear snickering um it's pretty much well documented and a lot of these children are not um confused about their gender it's other mental health issues that need to be addressed and I think that's very important that um children need to talk to the special people to find out what's really going on um keeping parents in the dark is not going to help anyone everybody knows that when parents are involved the kids do better academically and mentally um it's a parents's responsibility until they're a certain age that they have to take care of them and they're responsible for them legally anything that happens the parents are responsible why is it different here um if if the parents are abusive um or there's any kind of signs of that usually a social worker or the police or something is sent to the home to investigate the situation I don't know why it's different here um it's I just feel like at this point there's special rights and that's going to only cause a resentment for other children in schools um we have to we have to get back to the basics and um I say special rights because one example is the teachers are required to uh go with what the children say that their pronouns are their names and it might be against their religious um beliefs and they feel like they're being deceitful and if they make a mistake they could they could jeopardize their job and that's just not fair um I'm going to close now but I think that you really should consider um resending the policy as you decided before I know that children if they're affirmed when they're younger and as you know a different identity gender identity than their birth gender they could go on to puberty blockers and cross sex hormones and unfortunate surgery that they'll can never turn back and that's what I'm worried about I think that we have to wait till they're adults to make these kind of decisions and keep the parents informed thank you Ed sop we have Ed sofil Ed sofil that's you okay my name's uh Ed sofield I'm from Perth H booy I live at 565 Colgate Avenue I'm here because a representative of the Union Building Trades I could uh tell you that in 1956 or retired members or altimer had to go to school if they lived in Edison in Perth Amo because you didn't have this school we built this school we built every school in Edison and they all stand in Rock Solid we got a problem now over there at somebody these uh School in uh uh in Edison to want JP Stevens because there's some non-union contractors that got in there and they're supposed to pay the prevailing wage rate and we know for a fact through our studies that certified payroll that we do shows that they don't pay the prevailing wage rate and that we can't do that can't get to that point where the lawyers and the State Department of Labor until the job is done and the people have the job done and you're not getting the best workers you guys want the best workers you want the best doctors you want the best cars you got you labor now the state and the federal government has established a prevailing wage rate they pre they established this and it's the rate of all the Unions that's the realing W they've established is to protect you the public they don't want substandard people coming here doing the work they want the best people and that's why they established the prevailing wage rate there's a dozen we have a dozen 20 20 different Union trades in this midx County area uh these people working over there come from Mississippi Pennsylvania and they're not local people I know you people up there you know me cuz I'm a local person I worked here and 40 years ago doing a fire alarm up above here when I was a young kid I worked in this town and we got the steam Fitters we got the operating engineers we got the iron workers we got the insulators the tin knockers the electricians the plumbers the Maes the tile the data text the glazers the roofers and it goes on and on and on and our guys go to school for five years and they don't go to school for one hour a night they go three nights a week all our trades and they put in three hours a night and they work all day we got the best people these non-union contractors come in and they got one guy works for two hours electrician two hours as a labor and three hours as a roofer and they're getting prevailing wage rate and we know it's certified but it's too late because the job is done crap uh number two so I just told you about so what works for us what works for us is Project labor agreements that assures that the unions get hired project labor agreement ments we don't care if a non-union contractor comes in and takes the bid or a union contractor we want but a project labor agreement gives us the ability to have all Union people out of union halls a project labor agreement every town of middle sex does it Woodbridge Carterette peran boy New Brunswick we're all project labor agreements the county freeholders Ron Rios and shantina Hindu they guarantee that the County College project for $300 million has a project labor agreement has on now because they want the best labor to protect our people and give the best labor and local people uh I got to keep going with this uh 30 time I got go bit there's no downside of project labor agreements because a non-union contractor can take it it's up to you to put it in the bid when you put it in the bid they got to bid it if they want to be a non-un contractor take it but they got to get the best people we want a project labor g i we command it uh okay a little bit more when you listen to these uh sport programs like the Yankees tonight or the Giants or the Jets you're going to see that they're advertising union labor they're paying $100 an hour for union labor and that's what the non-un contractor is getting and he's putting the money in his pocket and we know he is we give the members if it's a $100 an hour any of these trades theing way says you have to pay it and our guys are getting medical benefits they're getting pensions they're getting annuities and we're taking care of them and the middlex county building crates supplies all the apprenticeship for your kids in here for your daughters and your sons these people come in here and are not taking care of your people we take care of middle sex County and your people will come and work with us through an Apprenticeship Training Program and I you know that we do that everybody can't be a cop or or an engineer you come to us you keep with us you stay with the unability trades we need project labor agreements we have to have them thank you so Mr Mr sop so first of all thank you for all the energy thank you so much BL thank you uh I would like to say that of course it was different from what everyone is speaking with the other other thing so one paid attention without without a coffee everyone is awake over here on both the sides but I can you you waited for like two three hours whatever it is you did not wait for nothing because today in our agenda we are having for approval the project labor agreement for for the next big school the John Marshall school and our ba Mr to had proposed that in our finance committee and we have it for the board approval it get approved in next few minutes you will have it so right here yeah there you go right here all right so thank you thank you so much and you know I hope that's a relief for you all right um so we are done with the list over here uh yeah we'll we'll get there so now since uh we done with that list we can go from to call from the floor so Mr Mara you want to go next I my name was on theist ohar spoke okay all right if he spoke that's fine that's great no no first time well we are done we don't see anyone on the list now so any first timers anyone who did not speak yet uh yes sir you can go all this is Andy from Edison uh thank you for giving me the 6 minutes but I'll uh you know I'm one of those so I'm speaking of the minority of parents which have been demonized and you know called bad parents or whatever and I would request you all that you know uh schools parents we all need to work together everyone's come said their stuff but we need to you know revoke this policy break down that wall and start working again together to build better Bridges because this is not serving anyone it's a lopsided policy it doesn't protect my daughter who's afraid to go to the toilet you know give proper protections for both sides so that's all I'm trying to say this policy needs to go so that we can have a better way of working things with collaboration from parents and everyone else it cannot be one-sided that's all I'm here to say thank you and a suggestion next time give everyone 3 minutes we'd be home quicker thank you all right next uh for public comments anyone in the back remaining yes you can go ahead I'll call you next thank you my name is Geral Mago I'm from Neptune New Jersey with the Dolores turo Foundation I've spoken before uh we're nonprofit and we uh protect children from abuse neglect and exploitation I'd like to begin by thanking you and applauding you for repealing 5756 and commend you for your outstanding service and commitment to the academic Excellence um of your of your uh of Edison the Edison students significantly exceed the average New Jersey performance standards in math and English so you are doing a a pretty terrific job um I'd like to begin uh with a a few words for our friends in the LGBT community we are not your enemy we are parents who love our children with all their faults and we love you too and want the best for you your body was designed by God god with a specific plan meaning and purpose he knows you intimately and loves you passionately you do not have to change your body or anything about yourself you just need to seek and follow God's will for your life and you know will know peace joy and love that God has in store for you um next I'd like to say a couple things about the law and medical issues on this uh transgender policy um thing number one you you heard you may have heard this before but I just want to repeat because some people may not be aware um that these policies are illegal and unconstitutional they infringe on parental rights just to to mention one district court in in California that has struck down these same transgender Vol uh policies for violating the Constitution right of parents the decision of the judge was that outing students um it uh they were not outing students it was a parents right to make decisions concerning the care custody control and medical care of their children as one of the oldest and most fundamental Liberty interests that Americans enjoy um and the overwhelming binding law from Supreme Court state and federal demands that parents be apprised and have access to all information concerning their children and that's because under legal precedent parents not the state are presumed to act in the uh children's best interest you heard a couple of cases I just want to bring out another on conversion therapy which um it was seemed to be um uh I guess talked down about um however the um in in the state of City of Tampa they paid $950,000 in Damages for Banning conversion therapy because Banning conversion therapy uh was unconstitutional uh just going to point out a couple of recent laws that since my letters to you I know I wrote a couple uh just in the past couple of weeks a Virginia school settled a u $575,000 lawsuit to a Christian teacher who was fired for refusing to use self- declared pronoun pronouns of a trans identified student in California another teacher was paid 360,000 in a settlement for refusing to comply with the same uh trans gender pronouns uh and just one other interesting case another freedom of religion these are freedom of religion issues 7.8 million to six former employees in San Francisco who were denied religious accommodations of her covid shots and the um the company paid a very heavy price for intolerance and lack of sensitivity to religion uh just a couple updates on the medical issues you've seen a lot in my former letters but over the last couple weeks some new things have happened a very disturbing report two weeks ago covered the horrific truth that 14,000 miners in the US have undergone transgender surgery and treatments generating 120 million for doctors and hospitals and according to Medical um the America's Frontline doctors this has become a multi-billion dollar industry quote driven by ideologies and greed where doctors are performing grotesque procedures on miners who cannot possibly comprehend the lifelong consequences of these gender affirming treatments um and another alarming fact that came to light just a couple days ago was a Dr Kennedy who heads the largest youth gender clinic in the US at the um La Hospital Children's Hospital in La withheld the results of a study on puberty blockers because it showed no positive mental health effects for gender dis for children who use them um just another one or two points that I wanted to make um the parents as you have heard are the most important protective factor in preventing risky and harmful behaviors for children and um and separating from their children from their parents makes them more vulnerable to predators and according to Tim Ballard some of the tactics of pedophile networks are now promoted schools separate children from parents uh the state knows best sexualized kids freedom of um freedom of reading act I think it was uh take God out of education and let children consent to dangerous lifechanging surgeries which makes it easier uh to accept a child consenting to sex when in fact they're being raped and exploited and one of the goals of the World Health Organization is to normalize and legalize pedophilia um okay well thank you thank you so much for the opportunity I covered the facts um but um I very much appreciate your position you can go ahead hello my name is Kylie Denine I'm from Oldbridge uh but I do spend a lot of time in Edison um and not the least of which was recently at the Edison pride festival uh which was held by the municipality and uh it per plexes me why I'm here tonight not in the sense that I am somebody who will come out uh to people who need my help in the surrounding Community who are LGBT and allies and be sure that there are people to speak for them uh but because in a town like this this is not where I would have thought that uh an appeal a repeal would be attempted um the Edison that I have always known growing up around this area is an Edison that respect diversity that protects diversity and that protects vulnerable people um so I have to say how disappointed I am in this board as are I know uh many other of my friends who have attended Edison schools who are living here in Edison families and I ask you to listen to those families who have been present this evening if you look to see just how many families have come out and ask you to not repeal this policy far outweighs the ones who have asked you to repeal it and that is because Edison again as I said is a community that by its population wants people to be safe and you know you you chose this right this was a policy that was on the book for years you chose this we're sitting here it's 11:30 at night I want to say good evening board but I could almost say good morning you knew this was is coming you tried to push it through the first round without the public being ready to come and comment but you brought this you brought the lady who just spoke saying that teachers are pushing pedophilia that is your fault you knew this was going to come here when you did this and if you care about Not sewing division in your community if you can't bring yourself to not vote to repeal this policy I ask at least that you abstain um you know before I came here almost literally half a day ago to this meeting um you know I saw such a horrendous ad on television um again promoting the same insane ideology that people who are trying to be themselves are inherently indoctrinating others to be them um and it was an that was so disgusting a political ad that was so disgusting um that the network actually prefaced it by saying uh we're legally obligated to show this to you that's how bad it was I I have never in my life seen an ad that was so nasty that the network had to say we're legally obligated to show this to you and we all live within that context don't we so why now you know what a crazy election year this is you know what's going on in our communities in terms of the division that's being sewn why in Edison New Jersey of all places are you going to now promote this division by bringing up an issue that was not an issue that hasn't been an issue I I I don't think you can understand the ramifications of what you're doing unless you've lived it yourself unless you've been an LGBT teenager who's had to been the victim of bullying um but if you can't share that perspective I ask that you at least share your own self-interest if I were in your shoes right now I would not be presenting forward in a town like this something where my neighbors would look at me in the way that I vote on this and think that I would be a hateful person I'm not saying that you are a hateful person by bringing this up and not for nothing some of the parents here not not everybody but some of the um actually very few parents I should say some of the speakers who are here um I don't think necessarily all of them mean harm even though certainly some of them do and I don't necessarily think that you mean harm but the perception nonetheless will be to your community not just to the taxpayers not just to the voters but to the people you see in the grocery stores right right the people you bring your to you know you have to interact with when you when you take your kids to their soccer game they're going to look at you some of these people and they're going to think that you're a bigot whether or not that you are a bigot they are going to think that um and that is not something that I would want to live with that is not something that I would want to dredge up um and I I don't understand why you would want to put that kind of a social Target on your back um because that's the reality of what you're doing here um I I I as I said if you can't take it upon yourself to vote to not repal this policy please at least abstain thank you thank you uh can I have a motion to end public comments on resolutions move Mrs White second Mr Schneider all in favor I I I any oppose right the public comments on resolutions have now ended uh if uh I'm hoping here and I'm assuming as well the board members will have something to say in regards to the vote on the policy uh before we go there unless any board member objects we can finish the resolu other resolutions and then I can open up through the board members comments on the policy if I don't hear any objections then finish the other things and we'll open up before we vote on the policy so that being said motion to approve uh personal report motion Mr Schneider second M Mr Romano uh roll call Mr to Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr visho Patel yes Mr AA yes Mr Schneider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes motion carries thank you next is motion to approve Administration curriculum and instruction and pupil special services reports motion Mr Romano I'll second it uh roll call Mr to I'm sorry who's the second by Mr Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr visha Patel yes Mr a yes Mr Schneider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes motion carries next is motion to approve Finance reports I'd like to make that motion Mr Romano second second Mr Schneider roll call Mr to Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr visha Patel yes Mr Riva yes Mr Schneider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes motion carries thank you that finishes uh board's regular business accept the policy resolution before I open up for board members discussion and comments uh Mr to if you can read the resolution once yes hang on one second no I got it on my board docks hang on one second okay whereas on September 30th a motion was offered from the floor about policy 5756 by a board member whereas in accordance with the Edison School District policy 0131 such motion requires by policy a second reading therefore it be resolved that the board now considers for second reading the abolishment of policy 5756 in accordance with the September 30th 2024 motion that was moved on the on the floor by the by a board member thank you Mr to I am going to open it up open up for board members discussion there needs to be a motion a second before discussion correct okay so we can a motion and second yes motion motion by Mr Romano second second by Mr Schneider uh let's open it up for board member discussion seeing none motion to close uh roll call no nobody wants to do a discussion I'm going to read statements um so as many of you were aware last month uh this came up on the floor and as the resolution pretty much reads like that and uh at that time after that Dr Al issued a statement I issued a statement on the website which says um the PO policy needs multiple readings and that's what brings us here for in today's agenda and I believe um in accord in accordance with the statement that I had issued and Dr Aly had issued the decision on this matter needs to be fully researched and well informed I myself spent the month of October I'm not running for any kind of Elections here so I did spend quite some time doing a lot of research on this issue and myself spoke with several groups Brer opinions and gather perhaps a lot of new information personally I believe so many in the community from what I uh saw is has largely misinterpreted or has been misinformed about the policy some people don't even know what the policy is and they say it takes away parental rights I don't think it's just taking away it's about taking away rights there is a lot Beyond it and some of the speakers mention that and I absolutely and firmly believe that parents are ultimately responsible for their child and their behavior and their are bringing and must be kept ined in everything that has to do with the child those who object to the continuation of the policy are all the parents who I know maybe taking respons posibility very seriously and want to work with the district to shape and grow their children and develop policies or have something in place which protects their children nobody means harm to their children I also know those who strongly support the continuance of this uh policy are doing so in the belief and understanding that not every child is U of lucky to have a such a parent uh they believe that the policy was designed to protect the children in my opinion it is imperative that the board and Community have a full understanding of how the policy is implemented and its ramifications of removing before any action is taken this is information that at that time during the last board meeting we simply did not have we don't have the information now I don't know how many board member spoke with superintendent Dr Ali between last month September 30th and October 29th I I spoke with him at length I research into it this gentleman sitting right of me he's a superintendent of the school he runs the district and whatever action the board takes from tomorrow it becomes his responsibility the staff members sitting here they did Express their concern that they do not have a guidance should the policy be revoked does that mean we should keep the policy well that's also not the answer here we need clear stakeholder input and this came up from multiple speakers to today we need St I am a very big believer of stakeholder input it is essential that all the stakeholders including the school staff parents students administrators and board members and the community members be able to contribute to the discussion it must not be rushed it must not occur behind closed doors but it must however happen in the sunshine as a community I cannot more strongly recommend that there be appropriate analysis and research done prior to a final vote is taken otherwise this can keep coming back again whether it's repeal or not repeal or board can keep changing policies keep voting on it again this can impact lives and we cannot take such a decision very lightly there may this may be a difficult in the face of oncoming national election but we must remember that we are here to represent and care for Edison and specifically the needs of students we must reflect Inward and ensure that any decision we make is not one of outside influence but one we can support in our own district and the one we can support on our own merits and reasoning remember there is a reason school district is supposed to be nonpartisan now in an effort for transparency to the public um please be advised that the position this position is not the one that I came in um you know I'm reading I'm just reading My Views here but we it came up last time Mr Riv also mentioned last time that there has been discussions in the policy committee and um an attorney had been involved in the policy committee um the attorney had provided permission to disclose uh what happened with in the policy committee the discussions with the whole board and the full board has been sent documents of and the meeting minutes and with the attorney's permission attorney has advised of the board policy 0155 charges the policy committee with conducting studies and making recommendations to the full board in its advisory capacity in the area of policy considering that the motion in question did not come as a recommendation from the policy committee it is our meaning the attorney's opinion that the proper procedure in response to an action from the floor to abolish adopt or revise or any policy is is to refer the item back to the policy committee for due consideration once the policy committee have had the opportunity or has the opportunity to properly give a proposal of full analysis and provide their opinion it could then go back to the full board for second reading the final discussion and the full board vote this is an the opinion from the attorney clearly stating this should be worked in the policy committee and along with the superintendent because the polic is come correct me Dr R if I'm wrong here in conjunction with the superintendent the policy Committee just does not work on themselves they also superintendent is one of the most important part of it in the light of that guidance um I firmly believe seeking the stakeholder input have the policy committee thoroughly review it and decision should be made after that and policy Committee in my opinion should also strongly consider stakeholder input because then again it's a board members so howsoever um you know can work with the Atron and design that design that methodology or but input is very important we should not be making decisions here out of listening to just few few people here once a proper analysis is made and the report is produced ideally only then the board should decide whether to repeal the policy or whether to possibly modify the policy or with something new now those are the discussions that can have but before even taking input from the stakeholders before even discussing in the policy committee this is just um done with very limited information and not complete information in my in my opinion so I would really direct the policy committee to look into this uh matter uh with the attorney I know the discussions were going on but this uh it's not the end of it um so I feel the lack of appropriate information understanding for uh does not um is is not there at this moment for all the board members and uh hopefully you know everyone makes their right decision thank you so so what's the timeline for it right so I mean I asked the policy committee to look into it in June it's been five months there's no update on it right so I understand you are saying you know per lawyer it has to be led by policy committee and put on a floor by the policy committee but is there a timeline right absolutely you cannot keep dragging this for years and it's not something new I I brought it up along with Shan Pang last year so whoever thinks it's political it's not we've been working on it for years but then people keep dropping it when when the board keeps changing policy Comm committee keeps changing and then people are dropping it so I would appreciate if you can set some kind of timeline to come up with the resolution I agree absolutely and the board should work on it work on it as a highest priority like I said I myself did a lot of res search and work with Dr Al I'm not the chair of policy committee Mr Rivera if you want to weigh in you can respond to Mr Vishal Patel or I would still direct the policy committee to you've met a couple you're asking the policy committee to meet again it's going to be the same four people that heard the same four messages twice already so to me we need to make a vote okay you any more questions I would like to make I mean make a word I mean M mine is going to be very short is there any recommendation from the the policy committee you all have the same information everybody read it everybody reads the news everybody knows what's going on everybody's got every document make a decision okay I just thought the purpose of having a committee is to do more research and give a recommendation several times okay not going to change okay I I just want to stress you know repealing 5756 does not undermine LGBT rights we have other laws to protect LGB tribut rights and repealing it it doesn't even mean that the school must tell the parents it actually just give the school the flexibility to deal to handle this case by case and I totally trust that that our staff would be dealing with this unique cases appropriately just like just as they have been doing before this policy was introduced in 2019 the the staff are not lost systems is working and parents while kept in the loop could help their children every step of the way so yeah yes Mr the policy's been in effect since 2019 is that accurate I made a motion a second the policy the policy's working let it stay I let it stay what is the problem you know I nobody's going to change my mind that's the way it's it's going to be now I'll make a motion again maybe would you like I'll go to the podium and I'll make the motion from the floor the fact of the matter is we know about this we've gotten information we actually got three pages what actual doc documentation and they recommended to leave it alone don't amend it don't rewrite it don't play games with it now there are there are litigation that's working through the system leave the system do their job it's not our job to take and to twiddle with it let the courts do what they do that's what that's what the information that we received you want to play with something so all I want to know is I'm going to make a motion I want to accept this as a motion and I want to vote just just leave it alone no right Mr Romano so uh yeah very soon but I did I did needed the board member comments and so I don't know why motion came in between but we did for advice yeah so that's why I did wanted to intend to open to board member comments and uh uh because sometimes board members speak in between the roll calls so I wanted to leave all those aside and then everyone yes no abstain whatever way they want to so going to get this over with um and then one of the things I want to clarify because this is not a light issue and Mr Rivera said yes everyone has the document from the policy committee and I also have the permission from the attorney is the whole thing we don't need to read the whole thing but in that meeting the attorney's office recommended option one there were three options uh when it comes to controversial highly contentious public issues in this instance the Edison board of education is sitting within the majority of other school district by keeping the current policy in place uh having the luxury of watching and observing the ongoing litigation related to the issue while being able to rely on the recommended practice of the state um and uh it speaks about if the state is Victorious eo's position has remained in good standing with the recommendation of the State uh that's what the attorney's recommendation was from the policy committee and attorney this time around after we consulted the attorney attorney has asked to work this again whether keep the policy repeal the policy or make our own policy anything should go come from the policy committee and then the board should vote on it that's saton his recommendation I'm done with my comments unless anyone has anything else um we can take a roll call right uh roll call Mr Toad okay no there there was motion I second we have everybody understand what's going on yeah understand motion folks have your time hold on it's a vote it's a vote to abolish the policy correct the motion was made by by um Mr Rano and seconded by Mr Schneider we're going to call roll on so to be clear uh attorney it's um a yes vote would be to abolish it a no vote would be to leave it alone correct thank you ready roll call Mr Lugo no Miss anena Patel yes Mr visho Patel yes Mr Riva no Mr Schneider no Miss White no Miss Pang yes Mr Romano no president Patel no motion fails so next is um we will move on to committee reports uh Mrs White Township leers in committee okay the township uh Board of Ed Aon committee was held on Tuesday October the 8th 2024 at the education center the meeting began at 11:00 a.m. and ended at 11:50 in attendance in person were Mayor Sam Joi mayor's Chief of Staff Bob deal assemblyman Rob carabin assemblyman's Chief of Staff Stephanie McClary superintendent Dr aldarelli assistant superintendent Dr hus business administrator John to director of security Patrick Cain Boe members Douglas Schneider Angela Patel and Virginia White deputy chief uh Deputy Chief of Police Bob dudes councilman AJ patile and Boe member Brian Rivera were in attendance via Zoom we began the meeting with mayor josi Who provided some insight on and following uh updates the Edison fire department sent Personnel to assist with hurricane relief for storm ravaged areas in Florida and the Carolinas the possibility of widening the street to improve traffic flow on Jackson Avenue which would affect Herbert Hoover Middle School uh sidewalk enforcement is moving forward a prek grant is being worked on by Senator Dagan's office regarding the expansion of the mini BV Community Center the gym upgraded has been completed and they're moov moving forward with other upgrades the successful opening of the splash park you know worked out very very well this summer pedestrian activated crossing signs were placed the town has installed approximately approximately 120 signs so far assemblyman carabin check provided Insight on several bills including the following bills impacting the preschool program updating building lease laws this is big uh factories um extending the maximum time uh for lease from 5 years to 20 years a bill proposing coaches stiens to be included as pensionable money for retirees for multiple sport coaches deputy chief dudy share the following information Herbert Hoover Middle School Jackson Avenue traffic issues continue to be a work in progress John Adams parking on New doover Road is improving and being monitored crossing guards are currently fully staffed and post are well covered pedestrian activated crossing signs are still being placed we are needed the majority of these signs have been placed around our schools respectfully submitted Virginia white but I did want to add this Stephanie McClary the chief of staff for um for assemblyman car carabinic provided additional information and State uh resources to us and they were forwarded to Administration who afforded who then forwarded them to the proper areas which you know she really sent a really good list and that's it for me thank you very much and the whole place cleared out what a report right thank you Mrs White um Mr Vishal Patel for athletic committee yep hello the the meeting happened on October 9 at 400 p.m and in attendance were Vall Patel Virginia White Shannon Pang Chris hus D sendal and D Al Patra um basically there was an introduction of Mr delara as as an intram athletic uh supervisor we discussed the Middle School sports schedule uh supervisor explained that removal of GMC has not gone well as expected it was it was an experiment to provide better Sports and better competition to the students but it didn't go well as expected so we're going to put back all the sports into the GMC starting next season and and next year uh committee also discussed uh having a cricket team this year in Edis High School um committee also discussed using the hard cricket ball for the high school instead of the tennis ball uh because it's the second year that we're going to be having the high school school cricket team Comm committee also discuss uh coaching standards and engagement expectation for the coaches um there's a new club sports that's being introduced it's called girls uh flag football at EHS and JP Stevens and we are looking to host the club team team for spring 2025 need to secure the funding and support and njsia is going to make this as a sectional sport starting spring of 2026 and committee ended the meeting with discussion of hiring the permanent supervisor the process to hire the permanent athletic supervisor at the JP Stevens thank you thank you Mr Vishal Patel uh I'll read the finance audit and oversight committee meeting it was held on October 14th it's now it's October 30th as we speak just midnight uh it was from October 14th 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ed Center in attendance for myself uh Mr Romano Mr Lugo Mr Schneider Dr Al Ali Mr to Dr hus Dr toi um Miss Pachi and Mr kibas the items were discussed and Architects from DMR DMR Architects Pradip Kapur and Sham committee discussed the John Marshall lease purchase and rate uh business administrator m Mr to provided details of John Marshall lease purchase and that TD Bank had won the bid uh the committee was asked to uh provide input to enter into preferred labor agreement I know the geman left at soille that's his name the one who had some entertainment for us so committee agreed on that with the AFL with the building middle sex County building and construction trades DMR architect presented a long range facilities plan uh they were commissioned by Edison Township Public Schools earlier this year to develop a comprehensive facilities master plan and update the district's long range facility plan for submission into New Jersey Department of Education this strategic planning effort is focused on ensuring the district's ability to provide and optimize educational environment that supports modern teaching practices and anticipated future needs the last time District had this done was around 2018 in collaboration with the board of AD and District Representatives DMR had car out several critical tasks such as gaining insights into current teaching practices curriculum related uh spal needs uh projecting future enrollment conducting thorough walkthrough of each and every uh building to assess the site conditions and Building Systems and creating space programs uh and concept plans trailer to each and every school furthermore DMR had identified specific requirements for enhancing thermal Comfort including air conditioning across all the schools um they provideed rough budget estimates to the committee and also prepared u in Aid also helped in Project prioritization ensuring that the district can make informed decisions for the future when the district wishes to take over those um work on the construction projects committee ask for approximate cost of air conditioning I don't want to make anyone lose sleep over here by do that it's on the website go take a look at it committee also asked AMR Architects to look at the Success Academy and couple of other buildings before they provide a final Revis plan to the committee and that's all thank you now we'll open up for general public comments I think Conway Mrs Conway you don't go I could ask him but I'll bring it up because I think it's important Elizabeth Conway 20 Netherwood Circle I'm just going to stop there I just noticed and I was wondering if you could comment on the farm stand at JP Stevens I like to stop there periodically and say hi to the kids and buy some wees but uh I haven't seen it open I know there was some construction going on but uh I was wondering if there's a a a future and that's it yeah Renovations room yeah the Farm Stand was under renovation is nearly complete you know we hope to have that uh opened up within the next probably two months you know getting it stocked so um but yes it was under a complete renovation okay thank you next for public Commerce yes kristo okay Jerry Campion first vice president ETA I just want to take just one minute to thank the children and the parents who came out to help us celebrate Halloween at our annual trunk Retreat um it's always a great time uh and and it was once again this year I also want to thank the staff those that brought their cars and decorated and handed out the candy and also all the staff that collected all the candy so uh sorry to the parents we sent the kids home way more sugared up than they should have been but there was plenty of candy and I appre appreciate that I also would be remiss if I don't thank the uh administration at Meno Park School for allowing us once again to have that there as well as of course the Board of Education and the custodial staff who help us to set things up and take things down so thanks to all a great time was had by all and we wish everyone a very happy devali thank you thank you next csto oh no thank you Jack Doty oh I'm recognized thank you so much you can start um so when I came up here name please and and I I identify as Jack I I'm identifying as Jack dty so um the same way this school allows the kids to uh choose their own gender many people change their name I've how do you know my name hasn't been how did you know what my name was when I came up here because they told you to harass me and they told you to waste my time asking for my name when two other people refused to give their name um and address so that's on the record and great good job um I'm happy the whole world got to see your true face Chris Lugo I mean fake Edison Republican party of course they have you on there as a committee man sir sir and Sir through the chair I'm talking through the chair through the chair you can talk through the chair and I have been you're not even the board president sir the board president point of privilege president shut him up there is no point of privilege you do not talk to a board member you talk privileg this is my time shut him up through the chair to Chris Lugo Edison Republican uh party has shown its true faith of Sylvia angle you voted um today you voted in favor to be against the parents and Governor Murphy's Democratic agenda so I don't know what deals you have with Sam Joi or the Democrats but you shown your true face today um and please stop stop interrupting members of the public when it's their time to speak this is my time I don't interrupt you when you when it's your time okay so absolutely disgusting um yeah so I'm a part of the lgbtq pedophilia Community too um I identify as an asexual hemaphrodite for those who don't know what a hemaphrodite is that means I have both penis and vagina and obviously I'm able to make love to myself but because I'm a sexual I'm not interested in myself I know it's a little bit confusing but it is what it is so they they had no idea I was a member of their Community but here I am I'm out of the closet um so I'm disgusted by you Chris Lugo you had one job up there and that was to defend these students to defend this district from that pedoph pedophilia ideology and you failed you failed but thank you for allowing me to prove that the Edison Republicans are complete bozos losers and fake Republicans but yeah so earlier I came to speak up here two two minutes was wasted from that zero Integrity lawyer why is there a new lawyer why don't we have mayor mench up here who knew how to do his job correctly um open public meetings act nowhere in the open public meetings act does it say I have to give my name and address and it certainly doesn't say I have to give my own name and address your policy says that um that policy is unconstitutional I don't have to uh allow you to violate my Fourth Amendment right so I can express My First Amendment right um but yeah absolutely disgusting you want to try to speak over me anybody you want to speak over me Robert's Rules of Order says I can speak through the chair and criticize anything call them names you can't do nothing about it first amendment um and I came here to behave I didn't come here to give no problem but when the lawyer wants to start acting like I'm going to treat him like people want to speak over me I'm going to speak them treat them the way they deserve to you want to have me removed have me removed it's 1 minute 35 seconds you want to have me removed huh should watch your language watch your language sir what Rosenfeld versus New Jersey watch your language so I just curse what are you going to do about it nothing because you're legally allowed to you don't have any respect for this country you don't have any respect for the laws in the state of New Jersey or the United States Constitution I just want to let you know the New Jersey Constitution is actually gives me even more freedom to express those rights if Robert's Rules of Order says I'm allowed to speak through the chair and speak to Lugo why the hell is Vice President Romano interrupting me why obviously you're not following your own decorum rules so it's rules for me but not for you guys absolutely disgusting um you Chris Lugo you lawyer Mr Rano I like you I don't know why you interrupted me I'm not going to curse you off but each and every one of you um yeah what are you going to do about it nothing f you um I'm also putting my mask on which I'm legally allowed to do you want to have me removed have aing nice day ni any last anyone else probably Brad I will don't worry uh hello I'm Benjamin tach uh Edison Township uh my pronouns are he him and I graduated from Edison High School in the class of 2024 last year um first of all I'd just like to acknowledge that uh the name Jack DTI is a famous influen are on YouTube and um I passed American history and the fourth amendment is about uh searches and seizure thank you for all keeping uh 5756 in place and especially thank you to vice president Rano for not allowing the polarization on the topic to sway your opinion uh you are a great man in my eyes I speak for so many students that I know at us in high school and also some of the staff and thanking you for your voice in your vote thank you for your time bread bger I live in Edison shocking uh is probably one of the last men standing here I I feel obligated to report the following things to be true one uh there are no unalienable rights that give me a right as a parent so I just needed to clarify that today I have a background in political science and a a bachelor's degree in public administration and public policy from the Michigan State University that tells me that there is no single right uh that is given to tell me how to be a parent uh the capitalistic government tells us how to live our lives in general and so nothing was given by anybody to tell anybody what to do just need to clarify that didn't say any of you said it but the second thing I need to stand up to do was to defend my profession My Chosen profession I'm a k6 certified teacher I taught and led schools for 15 years and I spent the last uh sixish hours listening to a handful of people dispar the profession and I know that those of you up on this board don't believe it even if you voted yes to repeal the policy but I need to make sure that this meeting ends uh it was somber it was heavy but this meeting deserves to end to at least hear from me that I don't doubt that there are no teachers grooming children and the sentiment that a teacher Grooms a child to perceive a notion or perceive their Identity or anything like that just flat out offensive and especially for it to be lobbied by somebody who's not a teacher I don't go to my mechanic and try and pretend like I know how to change a tire even though I know how to do and uh I don't go to Taco Bell and try and make my own tacos and I really wish people would step out of the way of teachers jobs and stop prying trying to pretend that teachers are doing something that they're not teachers are hardworking individuals those of you up on the stage know this so I'm just going to spend a couple more seconds defending the profession because I know you all kind of have to mind your p's and q's but I'm going to say it our teachers are great in this district and there were a lot of people not from medison tonight and I loved every single minute of it cuz this room is great when it's full but there were a handful of people that tried to insinuate the teachers in Edison are doing some nefarious things and I'm confident it's not happening I'm confident in your leadership Dr Elli I am confident in your board in the leadership of this board I hold true that this board has lost my trust but you can re earn it uh but I just needed to stand up and offend the teachers of this District thanks guys thank you if everyone is done uh motion to end public comments motion to end public comments motion motion uh Mr Romano second second Mr Vishal Patel all in favor I I public comments in uh motion to adjourn the meeting motion to adjourn Mr Romano second Mr Vishal Patel all in favor I I meeting is ajed ask everybody