to flag of the United States of America to theice the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provision of the act the portly board of education has caused notice of this meeting to be published on January 11th 2024 and posted on the district website at www.foe.com published in the board's designated online media Outlet newspapers the record and the Star Ledger filed with the clerk of the B of courtly and mailed to all persons at any who have requested said notice please be advised this meeting is being recorded and may be broadcast on local TV and online at a future date the open public meeting act allows for remote participation at board meetings and defines meeting as any Gathering whether Corporal or by means of communication equipment which is attended by or open to all of the members of a public body publicly intent on the part of the members of the body present to discuss or act as a unit upon specific public business of that body roll call please miss fa's King Miss K here miss Curry here Mr Knight here Miss Amy Kang Miss I'm sorry Mr Douglas Lopez here miss moral here Mr Rabino and Miss Raptor here the board will be convening to Executive session to discuss legal personnel and other confidential matters the board will reconvene into public session at approximately 7:30 p.m. may have a motion to go into executive session morale second Lopez all in favor I any oppos flag United States indivisible liy and justice for all the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discuss or active in accordance with provisions of the act the courtly board of education has caused notice of this meeting to be published on January 11th 2024 and posted on the district website at www.foe.com published in the board's designated online media Outlet the record and the Star Ledger filed with the clerk of the bur of courtly and mailed to all persons if any who have requested said notice please be advised this meeting is being recorded and may be broadcast tested on local TV and online at a future date the open public meeting act allows for remote participation at board meetings and defines meeting as any Gathering whether Corporal or by means of communication equipment which is attended by or open to all the members of the public body held with the intent on the part of the members of the body present to discuss or act as a unit upon the specific public business of that body roll call please miss King here miss PB here Miss Curry here Mr Knight here Miss Amy P here Mr Douglas Lopez here Morel here Mr Rabino here M here the board can be an executive session at 6:30 P.M to discuss legal personnel and other confidential matters Dr Trav will you begin by sharing the superintendent report yes good evening everyone and thank you for joining us this evening um I remind everyone that March is women's history month and also this last week and this coming week has been read Across America week in many of our schools we recognize that reading is a great part of our education you know topics that we discuss and I always tell parents the one thing they can do with their children is reading doesn't matter what Lins they read in as long as they're reading it opens up their mind and just keep on reading I would also like to introduce our two high school students this evening terice and Kate we'll talk about what's happening in high school I'm I'm Junior High School I'm kice and I'm also a junior at the high school s and Erics are praised at the Barrymore theater twice a month on Wednesdays for CBI Community Based instruction training Nelson cage the executive director of the Baro Film Center will showcase the boys's hard work by writing an article and photographing 11th grad Annabella Quan won the international sculpture Center award at the Peter Valley exhibition for 2024 on Sunday February 26 2024 our music department presented our honors assembles on Thursday February 29th in the auditorium Mr walty Mr pone let and Mr pone let the honors win Ensemble and honors prior respectively and Miss Stevenson led her honors Orchestra the concert featured music of varing genres time periods and composers future teachers of America recently did a great job teaching lessons about Black History Month at school number four on Friday March 1st 11 graders from the student council volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity store heing with various tasks The Academy of Finance hosted a three Onre basketball tournament on this past Saturday March 2nd on Tuesday March 5th the senior class with the help from student council is hosting a schoolwide volleyball tournament after school some spring Sports will begin practicing Monday March 11th and the rest will begin on Thursday March 14th thank you for the report we also welcome this evening the Bley High School Key Club the Key Club created the summer Scholars Mentor program for elementary intermediate and middle school students the students have created a a book that highlights all of their hard work through this process it is entitled Tilly and Ellie the students wanted to Showcase this project at our meeting tonight under the direction of suzan Alin their advisor and teacher in our high school words about the program you m thank you so much my name isabeth Curr high school we are some of the officers who organiz the very sucessful program um that wanted to sh today so we believe if you don't mind speaking into the microphone so everyone in Zoom can zoom L can hear everything you've done my name Isam I'm a current schol and there are some of the KE officers who organized the very successful program that we wanted to share with you all today so we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive and Excel in academic studies as well as explore their passions and showcase their unique talents therefore in light of the recent covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the arch Pursuits of the no generation we acquired a $2,000 State Grant in spent the summer working and collaborating with the right at school program to reect the flame for learning as as well as encourage teamwork and creativity to all students regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds or restraints the program was completely be charge and through the guidance of over 60 High School Ms over 300 students in ply district from kindergarten to a grade were able to immerse themselves in hands activities in both and stem stem consisted of grades four and up school FL and intermediate school and the creative arts consisted of GR in all four schs some of the projects included miniature rockets spaghetti marshmallow towers and popic scho steak buildings for stamp and mask Community quotes and comic book strips for the creative arts through these activities the students were able to immers themselves in a number of learning opportunities as the majority of these projects consisted of interactions from the students grades 9 to 12 will given the opportunity to be mentors to these young students every Wednesday and Friday this included teamwork communication and creative thinking across greaters age groups and generations they were given a generous number amount of hours for their hard work and dedication this whole program was free of charge as we previously as we were previously given generous Grant of $2,000 which was spent towards creating this program throughout September and October the mentors fost relationships with the students and everyone had a lot of fun with the experiment experiments being conducted as the kids probably showcased their finished project you were able to accumulate enough pictures to formulate a book that the a children's book which is what was passed out was passed out in the beginning um the book has every mentor's name in the respective sectors and pictures of the projects that they partook spread throughout the pages um the editor of Key Club Carl Hong who's not present today was the one who created the format of the book and I was the one who drew the characters and with everyone's efforts were able to get the book done um it was so that I can showcase all the students and all their hard work that was being done throughout the program and with everyone's efforts the program became a huge success and everyone involved was thoroughly pleased with their efforts due to the large amount of success this program accumulated we were able to get back in touch with the right at school program and we were able to start up a second leave of this program in a different lighting this time we're hoping to offer a academic assistance and mentors will be helping students with their homework during after school hours and the students who are in ESL were unable to speak English as well will'll be paired up with mentors who are able to speak the same language so everyone is able to receive the education and help that theyve that's what we able to do thank you to P the advisor who who helped all the students great job catch very closing I just again want to thank everybody community staff students everyone from custodians to all parents here this evening and on on zoom zoom land it takes team effort to make everything work and that just shows you how much our students are doing when it creat something taing is this so again thank you very much your hard work that's my superintendent report thank you do any committee members have uh committee shars have committee reports so I have one um on February 26 at 5:00 pm the policy committee met the meeting is not intended to replace a board discussion on uh policy 5756 and policy 9240 but those would the two policies that were agenda for discussion um board members in attendance were myself Holly Amy kotang and Christen RoR administrators who were present were Diane Baker and Dr kravin um also in attendance was Christopher buggy from the Taylor Law Group um the committee discussed obviously the two policies 5756 and the intersection C and Inter relationships between them um the lawyer Chris buggy attended the meeting and was available to answer any legal questions posed by the committee members including the Genesis of policy 5756 whether it was mandatory and the merits in his personal view of maintaining it committee members emphasize the importance of the district providing a safe and supportive learning environment for transgender students there was discussion of very uh there was Heavy discussion on particular sections of 5756 including the following um statements in the policy quote there is no affirmative Duty for any School District staff member to notify a student's parents of the student's gender identity or expression second in the event apparent objects to the minor students name change request the superintendent or his designate should consult with the board attorney regarding the minor students civil rights and protections under the njlad the New Jersey law against discrimination and finally that school staff members may not disclose information that may reveal a student's transgender status except as Allowed by law um Miss Baker explained to us how policy 5756 would work under various scenarios where a student asked the district not to notify their parents of gender identity or expression issues she explained how she believed guidance counselors would react if they thought one a student was being bullied or urged by friends to change her his they gender identity and a gender identity change was thought to just be a phase or other situations and she'll be available for the board um so that you can ask your own um personal questions the meeting went on for over an hour um regarding school records Miss Baker explained that um our district has certain limitations the policy talks about keeping two sets of files um files relating to the gender identity name pronouns Etc um as Chosen and desired by the student and then um documents with their biological name and other records um at the time that they enrolled um what we were told is that our District's Genesis computer system prevents our district from honoring a student's request to keep their gender identity information confidential from parents and that uh the district would go to the student explain this and say um if you want your school records to reflect your gender identity name Etc um the only way that we could do that is um because parents have access and must fill out lots of forms on Genesis that that that it would be revealed to a parent um what their ultimate Choice um you know that the the name that they've decided to proceed under um there were questions regarding how many um students do we have in our district that are currently um socially transitioning without a parent knowledge and and Dr Kravitz explained that that's difficult um for him to identify approximately how many um that the and he can explain you know the kind of the underlying basis for that but um just given the operations and and Reporting it it's just a difficult thing um for him to estimate I I I think I've heard that that um and I don't recall if I heard it at the meeting but um that we you're aware of one student who is socially transitioning without the parents knowledge I I think I think that that's um what you said but someone can correct me if that's incorrect um following the meeting there was um our policy provider um put out last September a memo on the issue of whether the policy is mandatory under the law and um the district obtained a copy of that and I attached a copy of that memo to the minutes um so yeah PR was a little lighter Affair we discussed a newsletter that uh the district is looking to put out it looked really good very promising uh we also discussed you know the possibility of partnering with our Food Service Company a little bit closer to highlight some of our cultural food initiatives and get the word out a little bit better about some the really cool things that we're doing to uh get children to share their cultural heritage each okay I have one for the uh building and grounds committee we met on Monday also February 26 um between 5 and 6:m and it was myself dou Lopez Christen RoR Diane Baker um and Mr pav and we went over the aack for the academic wing for the Louis pole Middle School um we talked about the high school shop and training program um and the uh Elementary playground repairs which uh should be done in the summertime uh the elementary bathroom partition for repairs and uh there were various other things that need to that are on the agenda to be repaired such as the concrete work alarms drainage roofs Windows Plumbing bathroom fencing floring and repointing so there are many things that are um going to be happening as far as building grounds to keep them up uh we all agree that the number one most important thing is safety safety first so uh in any issues that will be the first thing that is looked at from our building and grounds um person thank you thank you committee reports uh do members of the board have questions or comments on tonight's agenda or any other topic have a couple questions um we're setting the preschool tuition and uh is this more this year or are we keeping it the same keeping it the same I have a question regarding uh 4C um Miss Baker can you talk about what is the wingman leadership team hi Miss cang uh sure the wingman um program at the middle school and intermediate school is a peer mentor program it's a program that trains student leaders from the Middle School to serve as um mentors for intermediate school students and so the teachers that are on that resolution are getting paid to receive training on how to support the student leaders at the middle school run activities with the Intermediate School students this is the second year that we are running the program thank you how many students are in the program um well the peer leaders I believe uh it's got to be around 80 80 students it might be more but I I would say approximately 80 okay thank you anyone else so I have a question about the wind program that's being piloted um could you explain a little bit about that because there's some some parents have have mentioned that the students are going to different teachers and are are they going to continue to go to different classrooms uh every six six weeks and um also the the being U the testing at each at each level so there seems that they're being um standardized testing or the you know just the The Benchmark testing is being done a lot so um what was expressed was that they um the children are just going down and marking marking things just to market because they want to get done with it because they've had to do it so many times now um so could you explain that a little bit sure so the wi period wind stands for what I need now and it's a period during which intervention or in Rich can can take place depending on the student so it's an individualized learning um um path if you will for children so traditionally our intervention programs um have required students to be pulled out of their regular classroom while other core instruction has been going on in the past parents of those students that are getting pulled out have expressed concern that their children are missing other instruction in the classro sometimes parents May decline those Services as a result of that so in order to to remedy that we are piloting in one grade level in one Elementary School the wi period this is just so that you are aware this is very common um it's something that the department of of education has asked us or um supports now as far as the six weeks that's something that we said in the beginning but um I will be meeting with the principal of school number one as well as the other Elementary principles to talk about the frequency because some of the feedback that we've received is perhaps 6 weeks is too short so maybe we need to make that longer so that's why we are piloting it to work through the experiences and the nuts and volts of what that can look like um um before we take this out in a broader way to the other elementary schools any other questions okay may I have a motion to open the floor to the public motion motion Morel second all in favor any opposed any extensions we will have um we will hear first from any members of the public physically located in the cafetorium tonight then we will take questions and comments from those participating remotely participants are limited to three minutes in which to make their statement if warranted a response will be given after the 3 minutes for remote public participants select the raise hand button District technology coordinator Mr rero will recognize each Community member in the order of raised hands please unmute your microphone then state your name and home address for the record and begin your comments please limit your comments to three minutes uh members of the public here tonight that wish to speak please do so for the St uh hi I'm Keith dolin 2185 Le Mo Avenue 2A and I'm I live at9 Avenue uh and we're from the cpad we're kind of speaking on behalf of cpag today um and we wanted to uh just kind of update the public as to what we're doing and what we're up to we did set three goals for the year we're communicating those goals to uh Dr Kravitz and uh Diana Davis um and you want to speak a little more yeah so good evening everybody so CPAC is a special ed parent advisory group it's mandated by the state it's District level and it's a parent Le group our our objective is to provide feedback to the district on systemic challenges that are faced by our children and our families we have monthly meetings and our last meeting was held on the 22nd of February during our last meeting CPAC had collectively identified three goals for the district to achieve CAC will provide recommendations and we've identified resources that we will share with the district superintendent Dr P and director of special education uh Services Mrs Davis the objective is for these recommendations to be adopted by school system to promote inclusion for in school and after school programs we also Endeavor to facilitate better bilateral communication between parents and the district we appreciate that the district um we appreciate that our district administrators have welcomed the opportunity to partner with us to make for a model districtal neur diversity I also want to thank the board for nominating a Bo Leon rep for cpad so he can report back on what's happening in our meetings um so we can remain transparent in all our efforts to help um there are members on the board who have always come forward to show their support so I thank you all and it's very encouraging to begin our journey this week thank you and have a good evening just want to second that thank you to Dr Kravitz and Diana Davis you all have been very receptive to us and our ideas we really appreciate your feedback and help thank you thank you are there any thank you it's been a pleasure I've been at every of their meetings every one of their meetings and it's fun it's fun so I I appreciate it and they make fun of my socks the best among other things hi everyone Mike also 230 Warren AV um policy meeting was there discussion of procedures at the meeting because I've been asking for the last two meetings if there are procedures regarding policy 57 to 56 so is there does the school district have actually have a procedure question if so who takes the intake of the procedure is it a school social worker is it a teacher is it a guance counsel are they qualified to professionally take a mental health intake and if they're not is there a licensed clinical super visor to oversee them you are all running a risk of a lawsuit parental rights are Paramount parents are deemed Fit until they're deemed unfit and if you're not doing any due process on these parents you are breaking constitutional law it doesn't matter policy 5756 is not mandatory I'm not lying you can ask attorney general Matt clacken he out of his own words it's not mandatory so if it's really not mandatory is it really law and these are the things that you have to all talk about because once you hide anything regarding the health of a parent's child you are breaking unconstitutional W thank you sir thank you for your your question and your comment so um actually in policy 57-56 and explains what the procedures would be if a student identifies to Any teacher or any staff member in the dist dist that first conversation will be um should we contact or we would you like us to contact anyone else regarding this at the CH if the student says no Then under policy 5756 but then is there if the student says yes then then the case will be uh an administrator or a licensed counselor school counselor who will then speak with the child and they ask them questions and assist and questions they may have regarding their concerns that is what's in policy and that's what the process is if a student says that they do not want their parent to be notified then we honor that request as student that's the policy so excuse me sir before you go heard the board president's request I'm just reminding you that public comment is not a back and forth you're giv your I'm well aware that just I'm well aware that so you can have a seat you're giv I'm like to say I was rude he was talking resp I I just came up here just to say okay than right anything else that's it so in policy 5756 that's what's stated and that's what the district's procedures are regarding so no due process on the on the thank you for your time sir thank you breaking constitutional law good luck on your I'll just add just for from a legal standpoint the board's policy as presently adopted several years ago by the Board of Education uh upon the representation of Strauss estimate that it was mandated um while the term mandated pursuing to Strauss estimate requirements does not constitute law um so it's a recommended policy it's optional is discretionary for any Board of Education in the state of New Jersey to have in place and adop of the 600 plus school districts in New Jersey the majority of them have the same Endor similar policy in place um this policy while not the law um however it is consistent with the interpretation of the law of the New Jersey Commission of Education as well as the New Jersey attorney general there are about a half a dozen lawsuits pending right now in the state of New Jersey um regarding this new policy um that will be interpreted by the courts in terms of further application but as of now this policy is not required but it is recommended based upon the interpretation of the commissioner as well as the Attorney General are there any other members good evening U my name is Sarah crian I have two kids in the district and I live on Second Street in Fort Lee um I came with some prepared remarks but I I wanted to just like two things um the comment that it's not mandatory the Attorney General of New Jersey also said that transgender students and non-binary students would lose critical protections if is repealed of the nearly 600 school districts in the state of New Jersey 98% of this policy in place there's only nine that do not and of the litigation that the uh attorney mentioned um there's four districts that are being sued for not just repealing it but making it mandatory for schools to notify parents because it violates the New Jersey law against discrimination uh by focusing on just one one group of kids um the legal rationale for that ultimately would be teachers would be calling all students saying you got to be in chemistry and your child is still heterosexual it it can be that extreme um but very quickly just the comments I wanted to make was I came here tonight because I joined Facebook at the age of 49 last fall and I was heartbroken when I went to Fort Lee Facebook groups about how much disinformation inaccurate information was out there about our lgbtq kids and policies like this that help to protect lgbtq kids 5756 focuses on protecting transgender students I work in the field of violence prevention so preventing child abuse sexual abuse Family Violence and transgender kids have the highest rates of all of these forms of violence they're twice as likely to be abused in the home when they come out they're 10 times as likely to become home homeless when they come out to be kicked out of their home and they have the greatest likelihood of suicidal ideation 42% of trans people triy to commit suicide so this is a group of kids that deserve our protection and deserve a safe environment so a board member last meeting asked people to express their opinions as a parent I'd like to say please continue to uphold 5756 and protect our kids to our lgbtq students staff neighbors community members I want to say we love you you are welcome here we are an inclusive community and in my final 30 seconds I just wanted to mention some disinformation that's on Facebook that this policy stops teachers and staff from telling a parent if the kid is in a mental health crisis it does not there's multiple policies that protect that including this one miss colbath when she reported out there's another line in this policy that says for a specific and compelling need such as the health and safety of a student the school district May disclose a student status so embedded in there is also emergency situations um so please uphold 5756 it's been in place for over 9 years 5 years in its current iteration it's not a new policy and it's been working so thank you hi my name is doy I'm the talk country New Jersey and I just like to talk regarding ay 5756 and I feel that it needs to be resigned he a high support Health from both mental and physical for um former parents and what I just think that the fact that the students are allow I mean I'm not even a parent and the fact that in six seven years I could become a parent that my student has the chance to go to a teacher or anybody at the school and tell them about something that they're having a problem with themselves and not go to their own parent and talk to them I mean it's apparently it's to keep a child safe but I mean it really makes no sense you're not keeping a child safe from anything because a parent is the person that knows what's best for your child a parent is the person that's there to advocate for them they're there provide for them always throughout their entire life so that bring a child away from the family almost makes me cry so we sh away from the I mean it's a terrible thing we bring them away from the people that are there to love them and I mean it's just it's really wrong and I think that this just needs to be taken away I don't I don't agree with it at all um I feel that we as people should all stand against this because it's very wrong to just keep um to keep letting to to just let kids do this I mean where's the starting point what 6 years old 7 years old 8 years old 9 years old where does it start where a child is allowed to go to somebody who's older than them and have this adult conversation about their own body and to say that it's not mentally I mean that it's not me a mental problem is is is where I disagree as well because to say that you're not mentally not knowing who you are I mean you're mentally telling yourself I'm not who I was born to be the person that I was born as you know I think for transgender students you know I may not be a transgender person but I just think that this something that's wrong and I think it needs to be Tak hi everybody my name is Candace um I'm a parent two in P Community I'm oh you hear me I'm on West View Place um I wanted to use my three minutes today to talk about some of the specifics of 5756 because there seems to be a lot of misrepresentation and um disinformation fact um as the attorney mentioned and as Sarah mentioned 5756 is not a laot but it's a guideline right that outlines for schools and their District administrators how to create a safe and inclusive environment and you know Tanya I heard you say safety first right so I think the most important part is that these guidelines were given to schools and administrators to be in compliance with New Jersey's lad anti-discrimination law and title line um I've heard some parents Express their concern that this policy infringes upon on their paral rights and allows teachers to hide information from parents this is just not true as we've heard when you read the policy it states clearly that due to a specific and compelling need like Sarah said such as the health dis is of a student or an incident of a bias related crime the school must notify parents that means if your child is exhibiting signs of major depression self harm suicide the school is required to contact parents what if they are bullied or harassed they're required to contact parents and furthermore by law are required to disclose the nature of the incident as it has always been now it's almost a decade long where this policy has been in place it states plainly that parents need to be in the loop with their child's safety as in danger another concern I've heard is that the policy encourages students to become transgender or Worse facilitate Medical or non-med care and again just it's not simp it's simply not true New Jersey Law and Fort Le's Boe regulation 5 through3 clearly states excuse me no medication of any kind can be administered without the approval of students parents doctor superintendent of schools again plainly schools cannot provide any medication certainly not treatment without parental consent and a prescription from their pediatrician or 57 56 does state is that our teachers and staff should Le with compassion what 5756 does State um sorry leave with compassion but uh for myself as a child of divorce similar to a child whose parents are going through a divorce our schools might direct families their children to State resources at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families or the New Jersey Department of educ ucation so I hope this research and information I shared with you today dispells some of the some of the fallacies that have been circulated and compel you to keep 5756 in place thank you is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak my name is Brad Rondo uh I live at 2298 L Mo Avenue I'm the parent of two children at Fort L and frankly I'd rather be home reading them bedtime story but I'm here because it's become evident that a small but loud and very aggressive group of my neighbors seems hellbent pushing this board to hang out the unwelcome sign for lgbtq students by repealing our District's policy on protecting the civil rights of transgender students the rights protected by this policy include the right to be kept safe from harassment intimidation and bullying the right to have access to school facilities and activities that match their gender identity and the basic right to be who they are and have that identity treated with respect and dignity by their teachers their peers and their school community protecting these rights is not an insignificant or frivolous concern we've heard about incidents of depression suicidal ideation amongst transgender youth let me tell you what the research says research supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and published in their peer-review journal in March of 2016 that research shows that transgender youth who exist in an atmosphere of safety and support for their gender identity do not experience depression at any higher level than their peers whereas transgender youth who exist in an atmosphere that is unsupportive or hostile to their gender identity the kind of atmosphere that our district would be encouraging were this policy to be repealed transgender youth in that circumstance experience depression at much higher rates than their peers numerous other Studies have backed up these findings as you heard and I'll say it again so much of what we've heard about this civil rights policy over the past several months has been incomplete inaccurate confusing and misleading you've heard that this student this policy quote forces our schools to quote hide information about children's well-being it's not what the policy says you've heard it now twice I'm going to say it again the policy and the New Jersey civil rights law the policy is based on says this school employees are not required to contact parents simply because a child identifies as transgender or questions their gender identity the policy goes on to say that the school may be required to discuss a student's gender identity with their parents or legal guardians or even outside parties quote due to a specific and compelling need such as the health and safety of a student or an incident of a bias related crime unquote so what this policy actually recognizes is the fact that coming out to family members is a deeply personal thing for lgbtq Youth and that it is not a school's place to t a kid when or how to come out or to take it upon themselves to forcibly out a child so I urge this board to abandon any thought of repealing or modifying a policy that protects the civil rights of some of the most vulnerable students in our schools do the right thing and keep 5756 at place everybody Ariel mayor 2077 Center Avenue apartment 16a I also wish I was some with my kids so I'm gonna try and keep this short um first I want to say that I believe in Freedom of Choice fatherly all omy religious freedom medical Freedom everyone has the right to choose what is best for them to live a happy and fulfilling life the issue here is parental rights family rights and a violation by the state of that so I'm going to read a little bit of an email that I sent to the board and superintendent krabit earlier um this evening it was probably right when you were going into session so I just want to share it now um School aged children do need help and guidance from their parents or legal Guardians we should repeal policy 5756 parents should be aware if their child is questioning their gender identity the policy is not in the best interest of children as it closes the door of having a productive open communication with their parents or legal Guardians and leaves the only communication with school officials administrators and guidance counselors who up until recently have always been the link of opening the dialogue between parents and children for a struggling we're taking that away with this um the human brains in a little science here the human brains frontal lobe and prefrontal portex do not develop into mature adult brains with clear reasoning skills until age 25 kids are like schoolage kids little ones like they just decision- making that's what we're here for um and this proc and then the frontal lobe is the area of the brain that allows us to process the pros and cons of DEC decision before it is made there are many children who are not actually transgender perhaps they are just you know like gay lesbian and whatever that is certainly need uh other people to discuss that with hopefully if there's an issue with the parents the guidance counselors can guide them to therapist outside of the school to help them with that parents can't help if they don't know what's going on adolescence are going through puberty hormonal changes they're experiencing like discomfort in their own bodies kids can spend a lot of time comparing contrasting themselves to their peers and trying to fit in they comfortable in their own skin they may be feel body shame and you be feeling low selfworth this is a time to keep those lines of communication open with the adults in their lives not shut them off and keep such a huge lifechanging experience a secret parental involvement is a key I have some other stuff I wrote you guys hopefully create some looking at my time but children need to be loved and cared for and heard creating secrets and a Code of Silence among administrators is not the way to get these families the help that they need that's what they need um I put links I have there's a amazing woman Khloe Cole you guys should look at her she's a d transitioner she shares her experience um it's very powerful and we have to hear like like all sides and certainly you know this is this is not a time to keep like I said like doors and secrets this the time we really should be sharing with each other so thank you for letting me share hi um my name is chois from Tom Hunter Road Fort Le I don't usually speak at these but I just made some notes and I just want to make it on it so I'd like to start by saying that the parents sole job my job as a father is to protect my children until they're old enough to make their own decisions that is my job the state job is not to protect my kids the way a parent protects their kids so I strongly stand with parents and the parental right to know of any information relating to their child I support the removal of 5756 from the Board of Ed which seems to be structured to not only hide serious medical information from parents but that ultimately replace the parents as the actual guardian and advocate of their par of their child the state does not represent our children the parent does the state and its educators are there to educate someone on this board at the beginning said you this you will quote afford a safe learning environment end quote for the children so stick to your job and educate the state is not my child's doctor the parent whether a biological parent or not is and always will be their child's best Advocate the state does not feed my children does not provide shelter for my children does not provide a safety net when needed I do that the parent does that so repeal 5756 and focus on one thing teach our children thank you good evening thank you very much my name is I am for Main Street Jersey I support the previous speaker state has to mind their own business we need our parental rights back in place state is not raising our kids State doesn't care about our kids we need children we need teachers to teach our kids good values good moral that's why we need religion in schools mandatory and all three of them we are not going to persecute the kids because they're saying I want to be a boy it's a boy and wants to say I'm a girl it's it's a kid we understand that we want to raise them with good moral with good virtues that when the little Johnny is going to be asked what are you want to be when you grow up he wants to say he should say I want to be a doctor or an engineer not I want to be a girl cuz that's complete failure and that means that our society is completely failed number two I need we millions of parents are asking for the schools to be closed one day as a sign of standing up against the genocide that's going on in the world two teachers are killed per hour 500 schools are bomed kids more than 30,000 kids are being with their legs amputated their limbs amputated um their peers are being killed on the other side of the world so at least show some um Humanity some dignity if there is anyone we should stand up and say hey we say no to genocide and we should roll up the sleeves to teach our children what genocid is what good moralists what good values are no we're not persecuting any kid that says oh today I woke up and I feel like a turtle no we're going to divert them we're going to tell them mommy is here Dad's here the teachers are here and the professionals are here and we're going to tell you what it is good and what's what's bad also we need um classes to teach them manners um as many times I come across them and they just jump all over the place I'm at the Free Library they come and they don't even know how to say excuse me or they they they come they don't know how to take a bath they're sing they don't know their laary is stinking or they're they steal the stationery we're so left behind on on simple things on main main things that are just so basic are we discussing now um other stuff deviations that are leading us nowhere we are all going to get abused when we get old because this is the kind of children they were raising or they're going to be hooked up in marijuana confused defused and I don't know even if there is a gender on them oh yes it is cuz when they were born the almighty Lord decided for them to be a boy or a girl thank you Stephanie this 2011 BL road so just we get this straight manners are supposed to be taught in the school but providing a safe environment for kids to question who they are is not supposed to happen in school it would be wonderful if every parent were as great as all these parents who were speaking here and would raise their kids the way that the commendable way we all want through is but we all know that that is not what always happens and the school is a place where the kids should be safe and the K have a place to go and this the repeal is is a bad idea good evening hello everybody um my name is Michelle philippin I live at 2298 L Mo Avenue my oldest son goes to school free um and my youngest is still at preschool I'm here because I'm someone who cares deeply about the well-being of all children um so much so that I've made my career of that very thing as a teacher a curriculum coordinator an instructional coach I have 16 plus years of experience and I still feel myself honored to work every single day currently as a public school teacher in Edgewater um which brings me of course to why I'm here echoing C who spoke before me um the kids it's they are all children whether we know it or not not just the kids in our household um I'd like to say we all belong to each other and we have to decide who we want to be um and I believe that whether we know it or not there's been a crazy amount of transphobia spat into this room um this evening and maybe we don't care about those kids but guess what I do because again I believe that we all belong to each other and I worry that what in all of being is being said about policy 57 56 tonight and of course over social media over the past several months we risk losing sight of the fact that this is not just an abstract political argument among adults there are kids in this town that are watching and listening to what is being said kids from whom this debate is anything but abstract it is personal their lives their friend friends lives stand to be seriously affected by whatever action this board decides to take on this issue more than a dozen current students at fortly high school have written letters about this issue and asked the baby chair of the board most of these children want to remain anonymous rather than out themselves or their friends which by itself says something about the fear that they feel at the prospect of this policy being repealed or altered I will email all of these students letters to you to consider the voices of the people who would be most affected before you take any action here's a little taste of what some of these students have to say repealing policy 5756 forcibly taking away the only safe place these teenagers have and destroying the safe places they once had in their homes do not be like Oklahoma school district and stay silent when you can make the decision to save children's lives as a fear teenager myself being fully out at school is a difficult process that in and of itself takes significant amount of bravery and thought however it has significantly improved my educational experience because I truthfully present myself to others and do not lie about my identity if you were to jeopardize my safety by telling my parents of my sexuality instead of allowing me to make that rightfully entitled Choice my trust in the fortly education system would be ruined if you don't put students first what is your priority it's a rare thing I'd say to do nothing is the right thing to do in education but in this case it is we second good evening everyone Andy Roba 1059 Anderson Avenue I'd like to start by saying that uh telling you what my narrative is this evening I'm here solely for children I am here because someone asked me to read another letter from one of the students I'm only concerned with the children that are I can't be themselves and feel very uncomfortable to come here here and talk in person uh this child is a junior in the high school hello policy 5756 matters because although yes transgender people especially teenagers have some of the highest suicide rates in the country it is because they do not feel accepted or they do not feel understood both of these issues are solved with policy 5756 in the Fortland School District because transgender people are able to talk to school counselors and support systems who will hear them and understand without the fear of that trusted adults telling their parents who may become abused to the child or disregard their feelings although I am not transgender I have many friends or know people who are and often times they come from homes where they be in danger for sharing their gender identity with their parents because logically If the child was safe enough to tell the parent about themselves they would removal of policy 5756 would be the removal of the trusted adult who often times as the person who keeps these teenagers and children safe by being there for them there is a reason that a child does not tell their parents if they think they're a transgender it's up to the parents to cre create a safe space for the children to talk about their sense of self identity outing children will not help all outing people will do is make them less likely to tell people and instead Sho self isolation for the safety of the forly children keep policy 57-56 in place thank you a fortly high school junor and that's who I'm here representing is one of the students that wrote these letters thank you hi thanks for letting me speak today my name is Joel de wer place can you just speak into mic sure I I want to use my time today on behalf of forly students rather than to represent my own views which by the way don't necessarily correspond with those of the student whose letter I'm about to read an excerpt what struck me and I hope that it will you to is that this young person has found themselves navigating a delicate home environment for which the public schools have become their Refuge which I'm sure is not anything that anyone here would want to would want their child to describe their circumstances as not one part of which is their choosing and this experience it seems is shared among a number of students in our community so whatever the right course of action legislative curriculum or home base it needs to start and end with sincere consideration concerning her passion for the students and the young people who are the subject of this ongoing conversation which is the reason I'm ending my voice in this this conversation so the senior at Fort Le High begin this letter by retelling having just come out as transgender at school this year they go on to say at home I exist as an inauthentic incomplete version of myself the first words the first words my mother told me when I came after her were just don't tell your dad if I were to tell him I'd run the risk of being kicked out of her home and losing financial support as parents I can't imagine that anybody here was not this students fear Heartbreaker as you'd imagine then he go they go on then wait walking into the school building is a breath of fresh air admittedly high school students aren't the kindest but it's invaluable to me that my Educators respect me I understand that these words might not mean much to you but given that you haven't experien this firsthand to put it more directly being respected in confidence by my teachers and other forland staff members with massive weight off my shoulders imagine for instance having to use your left hand every single day at home when fact you're right-handed I get to use my right hand at ately high school to be able to enter the building as a true version of myself is something I'm more grateful for than I can verbalize you might argue that parents have a right to know to that I ask why aren't you content with knowing when the time is right what do you think will change between now and then when your child is confident enough to tell you if you believe that you'll somehow be able to talk you out of it you're mistaken the only result of that action will be an erection of a wall of secrecy and resentment between you to be a teenager is to discover yourself allow your child to do that I'll conclude by sharing their concluding thoughts I understand that many parents here want what's best for their children sometimes though what's best for them is letting them figure things out on their terms just because you as a parent believe that you'd help your child if you knew does not mean that this is a universal experience I can say now with full confidence that the reviewal of this policy would make my life immeasurably more stressful if not more dangerous with that I urge you to rethink this decision toal 5756 is supp for students thank you thank you on the Great good evening everyone my name is Alex Wolf I live in Second Street I have two children in the district I want to try and give a little bit of a bigger picture if I can um and talk about what the stakes are for repealing 5756 so I think it needs to be stated that should this board repeal 5756 that does not automatically mean that teachers and administrators now have to report to the parents right the policy only gives guidance for for for teachers for the district so repealing the policy doesn't seem like it's going to be enough for for some of my neighbors uh they want a policy in place that will require par uh require the district to notify parents and that will put us directly in the crosshairs of the New Jersey attorney general because that will mean that our district is in violation of the law against discrimination it will mean that transgender kids and only transgender kids kids have to be reported to their parents and not kids who are expressing other aspects of who they are who they love who they might be what they want to do with their lives um and so what we're looking at if we repeal 5756 and then put something else in place are lawsuits a lawsuit from the New Jersey attorney general just like we've seen in other school districts around the state this means we have less money for for addressing critical needs in our district we have a teacher shortage we we have a PA of shortage we have we will have less money for addressing uh the grounds building and grounds that we heard about we will have less attention to pay to adopting the new math and Ela standards we will have less attention to pay to creating new programs that will benefit our kids in general we will have less time money and when I say we I mean you all because you're the ones that are going to be dealing with these lawsuits we will you will will have less of all of time money and energy to make our schools the best possible environments for all of our students furthermore if we repeal 5756 each of you who votes to repeal it will be violating your oath when you were elected to this board you took a oath to protect all students in Fort Lee not just cisgender students not just the ones that you think deserve protection you took an oath to protect all of them if we repeal 5756 we will leave our wonderful teachers and counselors without guidance on how to help our most vulnerable kids and we will make fortly and fortly schools and fortly Rit large a place where some of our students and residents feel unsafe and unsupported where our values of in inclusion and diversity are diminished if we keep 5756 we avoid all of that we continue as we have for the last 10 years to make our schools a safe supportive environment for all of our children as we know from dozens of letters that we've received from children from students this policy helps kids feel safe and supported but also helps them academically we will continue to show trust in our teachers we can continue to focus on making our schools a wonderful place and we will continue to allow parents and students to have a say in how this incredibly important and intimate conversation happens forley will continue to be a welcoming place for people across the planet no matter what they look like what language they speak the color of their skin who they love or how they identify keep 5756 to up I was going to speak after this G SP I kind of feel the need to because I'm sitting here like saying to myself what am I hearing because he literally said if wey 76 it doesn't mean it's mandatory that we have to tell each other so what is the problem with the healing if it doesn't make it mandatory right and I'm also hearing you know people saying disinformation that you know this has nothing to do with keeping parents right so I'm hearing that this 5756 makes it so they don't don't have to tell the parents no one's saying we have to tell the parents you know but I don't think that you know keeping this in place makes any sense because parents actually do have rights you know and at the end of the day the mother brought the kid into the know parents pay for everything you know and and once the kid is out of the school system are you guys got to take care of them like I'm very confused because I'm hearing things that are very contradictory you know you guys are saying it's a you're creating a safe place but it's a really safe place you guys got to take care of the children when the school's over like this doesn't make any sense to me I keep on hearing safe place safe place but how are you keeping them safe like it doesn't make any sense and I obviously am this doesn't make any sense are there any other good evening I'm Howard lipof I live at 161 Main Street in Little Falls I spend most of my day here at the lsf Cole Intermediate School on a a special education teacher I've been in this district for TW 27 years as a teacher the thing that's so surprises me that is that we've spent I guess over well over an hour now talking about a subject that in my 27 years has never been an issue no student has come to me in those 27 years and although I'm now in the Intermediate School I spent 14 years working at the high school no student has ever come to me uh expressing their gender identity or asking that I don't tell their parents now from what I've heard there are a very small minority of students that may have reached out to one of our sta uh staff members here and express that it helps them appear apparently it makes them comfortable it makes them feel that um they could be accepted by someone when they don't feel like they will necessarily be accepted by parents or family members I think that the board should think very carefully in the message that a repeal of this policy would have to those children and it would be from what I hear a very negative response to th for those children those children in their mental health should be I believe your top priority I also heard your attorney and sir you could correct me if I misunderstood your advice but you said having this policy is not required but recommended I think that it's usually very wise to listen to the advice of your attorney thank you very much hi my name is Alex Rodriguez and I work closely in the poorly Community with students as well um policy 5756 needs to be promptly revoked due to its concealment of crucial aspects of both mental and physical health from parents advocating for a public institution funded by you guys are advocating for a a public institution that's funded by taxpayers that can compile and withhold records against children with profound ethical and legal concerns children's records are typically deemed the property of their parents and any attempt to circumvent parental involvement in their child's well-being is untenable concealing a child's privacy from their own parents is not only ethically questionable but also undermines the fundamental trust between families and educational institutions parents are typically the foremost advocates for their child's privacy and any policy that circumvents the dynamic is deeply problematic furthermore in trusting the sensitive and controversial TR training associated with policy 5756 to individuals outside of the parental sphere introduces significant risks decision decision making regarding potentially life-altering matters that could involve parents directly rather than regulating them to to the sidelines the notion that lawsuits are are being invoked to defend policy 5756 underscores the prioritization of legal maneuvering over genuine concern for the welfare of the students and family this suggests that the policy is driven more by bureaucratic interest than by a sincere commitment to student well-being additionally framing policy 5756 as a mechanism for creating a safe space for transgender students is misguided true in inclusivity and safety involves treating all students with equal equality and respect rather than singling out a specific group uh for differential treat treatments which that group is a minority as well creating a safe and inclusive environment does not necessitate infringing upon parental rights or treating any student differently based off their identity in conclusion policy 5756 not only undermines parental rights and trust but also fails to prioritize the genuine well-being and inclus of all students its immediate its immediate revocation is imperative to uphold the values of transparency parental involvement and equal treatment within our educational system thank you hi my name is Stephanie Maharis um being a parent and having a child is a gift of God indeed our children are gifts from god parents are responsible for the growth and development and is a great big job growing up is a developmental process containing certain Milestones that takes place within boundaries usually defined as age appropriate sex sexuality and even romantic or emotional involvement relationships are not de developmentally appropriate for children and can do lasting psychological damage if it introduced irresponsibly as a parent we have a fundamental right to control and direct the education upbringing and most importantly the health care which this is issue is of our children but these rights cannot be fully exercised if government officials and schools hide the most important information from parents assuming that parents would not love their child you have assumed that parents would harm their child you have assumed that the family's role is okay to be usurped by you you do not have that right indeed this leads me to something that we see in the flag lgbtq queer activism and if a child comes to you and says they're queer because they're learning about it what is the guidance for a small child who has the ability to know even what this mean David Halper writes queer need not be grounded in any positive truth or in any stable reality as the the very word implies queer does not name some natural kind or refer to some determined object it acquires its meaning in oppositional relation to heteronormativity do you mean to tell me that your gender inclusive studies I do not believe that parents in our district realize that their small impressionable male and female children are seen as a social construct that that needs to be torn down and replaced and guided into correct thinking we have heard many people speak about Mis thought wrong ideas wrong thought queer Theory argues at its core that sex and gender are social constructs imagined political categories created by powerful people and institutions to oppress everyone I highly doubt any parent in District is oppressing their child overtly or outrightly but that is not how one is seen by fear activists indeed the parents are a big problem and stand in the way of what they want to do which is bring their queer dream to the reality of every child in the district and for this 5756 need to be repealed parents need to know what is being discussed with their child and know what the child is thinking the end does anyone else present wish to speak good evening jine Stu 1156 in tonight I'm speaking to my team forly strong of Lopez Kim Curry and and the four people that stood by us on this board and supported us that makes seven as you vote tonight it's imperative that you reflect on the Promises we made during our campaign we stood together advocating for parental rights understanding that they are fundamental to this community the voters placed their trust in US believing in our commitment to Champion their concerns throughout our campaign we resonated with the voices of parents who want to be informed about their children we pledge to be their Advocates to uphold their rights and to ensure that their voices were heard with every meet and greet every Facebook post every pamphlet and bio we individually wrote and gave out our stance never wavered it was loud and it was crystal clear we were for parental rights now as the time for Action approaches it is crucial that you remain true to your word the vote before you today is not just about policy it's about integrity accountability and the trust of those who elected you I hope you will fulfill the promises we made stand firmly by the values we expressed and deliver for all of the voters who entrusted you thank you very much and have a good night he Mr rerro I think you're up yes Zoom user you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes hi can you hear me yes yeah can can you see me is the camera working it is now there we go hi uh my name is John dreskin I'm 1590 Anderson Avenue Fort Lee uh I have a young daughter in the school district in the Intermediate School um I have to say that this um 5750 six Act is is very confusing as is um you know life when you're a young kid like this um it's it's amazing to me that we're talking about such things you know I again my daughter's in fifth grade and we're talking about uh being different genders and so forth so um it's confusing to be a kid I know it's tough you know you know kids go through different phases you know you guys will find your way in life but uh you know parents are our best advocates for children um I was brought to this earth to protect my child so I don't agree with this 5756 I I don't think um as previous guest said that parents should be assumed to be bad parents um I I think parents uh you know kids don't don't make irreversible types of decisions that you might regret later in life and if you need help and you need people to talk to that's fine but uh you know parents should have decisions for their children and especially young kids I mean that's all I have to say thank you thank you Karina KES you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Arena Kash hi uh Irena crash uh 2303 month Avenue Fort Lee I'm actually not calling because of this I'm calling as a parent for a for school one student and I just want to ask about the state of the school last year the library was flooded and the kids couldn't take books for months from what I remember they were basically designed to the class library and kept bringing home books that they never read and weren't using and this and today my son got sent home because a waterpipe broke again and uh they had to shut off the water and then emergency send the kids home I mean you guys spent a million and a half on a preschool but we can't figure out how to keep school one running I don't even know if my son's back to school tomorrow because we haven't gotten any notice so I'd like to want know is school happening tomorrow two do they have water and three what is what is the plan here for you know the oldest building in the district and where's what are we doing here thank you for your question so school one had a uh a water problem today the school is closed because we didn't have access to the bathrooms or the water mountains uh the school will be open tomorrow they' worked on it and it's solved as far as long-term goals that every District in their is required for a long range facilities plan that the district has been working on and has all of the items that need to be done in all of the schools we have a lot of buildings that have not um that that need work to be to be completed so there are priority list by our architect as well as the buildings and grounds committee that I think M Myers Kang mentioned that there was their first meeting there will be other meetings as well as we update that list and then appropriate funds that we have for that the funds usually come from our Capital reserves which are left over money from every year from our budget and uh our goal is to make sure that they're operating right now but it is a concern of ours when we look at we've had an issue in school 4 with the bathroom over recent weeks school three and also in school one they are older buildings and we're looking at different options for the future and how do we support that and how do we maintain everything that we have thank Christina amendolia you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes hi everyone my name is Christina amendolia I live at 275 Hudson Terrace um and I'm here tonight to read uh a woman had already explained that there's a number of high school students who had written letters about this policy and so I'm here to read an excerpt from one of those letters do not get rid of this policy don't touch it don't change it and don't repeal it I am non-binary and I would like for that to stay between me and those who I tell that to I know how it is at home not you and the same thing goes for other students they know their home life not you and if I or someone else chooses to tell someone about it let alone a staff that means I or the person trusts said adult with that information here are some facts too one there is already a high rate of trans teen suicide up to 40% in fact have attempted suicide number two and unsupportive home can lead to harassment or homelessness or something else that is just as bad or even worse and you guys wouldn't want that for your staff now would you right so I'm going to say it again do not get rid of this policy thank you Anabella you've been promoted to panelists please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes can you hear me yes okay good evening my name is Annabella I'm a fortly mom who resides at one Executive Drive and I am simply here tonight to speak on behalf of six students from the fort Le School District by also reading an exer from each of their own letters that they wrote and sent in in regards to policy 5756 student letter excerpt number one dear fortly board members as a queer teenager myself being fully out at school is a difficult process in itself that takes significant amounts of Bravery however it has significantly approved my educational experience because I can truthfully present myself to others and not lie about my identity if you were to jeopardize my safety by telling my parents of my sexuality instead of allowing me to make that rightfully entitled Choice my trust in the fortly education system would be ruined if you don't put your students first what is your priority student letter excerpt number two hello esteemed members of the Board of Education I am a student at Fort Le high school and I am here to beg you to not do away with policy 5756 ever since court cases such as Tinker versus de Mo in 1969 students have had a right to self-expression and privacy why should this be any different thank you and please consider our words student letter excerpt number three dear fortly Board of Education in most cultures parents don't believe in mental health or sexual identity I have friends that are part of the lgbtq community and their parents don't know about their identity they are afraid their parents don't know about their identity because they know the backlash and repercussions that they'll receive I I question why the Board of Education would pass or repeal certain policies without asking for the comments or opinions of those who would be directly affected by it student letter excerpt number four this is our reality that we have to live in and in a time where lgbtq kids are so free and happy and proud to be different I don't think this should be taken away from us and to the parents and people advocating for this law to get repealed you don't know how scary it is for us for some of us that one word transgender if our parents hear it could ruin our entire lives student letter excerpt number five school is a safe place for many students and counselors and teachers play some of the biggest roles in all of these children's lives speaking to a trusted adult without fear is so important and cannot be taken away from students forcing the outings of students to their homes at Great risk of danger such as violence homelessness and harassment the stress of not being able to talk to a reliable and trusted adult at school because of the absence of protections for students privacy can lead to detrimental mental consequences and lastly student letter excerpt number six it is about lives not politics it's about saving lives stand up for our children don't repeal 5756 thank you Sophia you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Sophia okay can you hear me yes okay um yes Sophia mlis I'm on harbon Avenue in Fort Lee I am actually against and requesting a repeal for policy 5756 um the parents that are requesting this appeal uh this repeal is not because we have anything against transgender students um but I don't think something that uh you know that the school should be hiding from the parents if anything maybe bring in a family therapist for parents um to discuss this and private with their own children uh and second I am against curriculum number three for Nathan Lutz um one thing that I don't like about the workshop proposal that I saw was him promoting equity and inclusivity um the word promote is is like a actively encouraging some kind of backdoor agenda um and the Workshop proposal is very uh gray in the matter of what exactly he's looking to teach these teachers that they will in turn trickle down to the students that's it male you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes uh hi can you all hear me yes okay Mel kesco 254 to Hunter Road Fort L New Jersey I highly disagree with policies like 5756 and others uh because they shouldn't be in place to hide anything from parents uh there were some claims about parents being notified in cases of the child being in extreme danger suicide conditions by school to which we already know it's going to play out um in February 20123 Adriana cooch of Berkley Township committed suicide in her home and during the discovery it turned out that the school was fully aware of her mental health and failed to connect with the family to let a know about the health state if parents were allowed to know more about it beforehand they could have probably prevented this pull the kid out of school and cut off the condition which lead to her suicide which by the way happened in school another point was that child children uh trans children are committing more suicide than kids that's highly but none of them mentioned that the child uh the trans affirming care it's actually chemotherapy that has suicidal ideation on the label so what you're doing is you're feeding medicine to kids which you make them mentally unstable and then when something happens you parents and you totally hide it from the parents based on these policies that say that the children's have rights to hide certain things from parents lastly it doesn't take a master's degree to figure out that some parents might be upset when they're the laughing stock in this whole situation and they're the last ones to know what's happening with their kids in school I believe strongly that none of these policies have any reason to being School parents should be first and foremost uh notified in time and participate timely with what happens with their kids mental health in school because at the end of the day we're the only ones that care about these kids not you not the other parents that claim we can sign with and not not the teachers either because at the end of the day the teachers have a job they get paid they had enough and they go home and do their own thing or manage their own kids that's what I have to say Aran Masters you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have 3 minutes k k Masters hi sorry can you hear me now yes yeah sorry um so I just wanted to um speak out in favor of maintaining policy 5756 um I think that the starting premise has to be of the schools has to be the safety and education of the children and I think policy 5756 puts the well-being of the student first and is that is appropriate as a result um I think you know other people have spoken tonight about the increased dangers that gay and transgender youth face when they are inappropriately and outed without their consent and I don't think that the school should participate in that that process um moreover I'd like to you know reiterate as has been said before that the policy permits disclosure for compelling health and safety reasons um and that to me strikes the right balance of making sure that parents are informed when necessary but giving the children um the opportunity to um work through their own gender identity and and and speak to people when they feel it is appropriate so I would be in favor of maintaining the policy that's all I have to say Michelle Perez you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Michelle Perez yep okay hello hi everyone Michelle Perez as you've already heard 555 North Avenue out of respect for your time because we've been doing this for a little while I wrote a little statement I'm going to read it it's going to be less than two minutes ready let's go policy 5756 has been talked about a lot but there's been no comment about it causing any harm in the past nine years that has been in place in Fort Lee nor in the past five years since it's been updated it's currently on the books in 98% of New Jersey public school districts only nine are out of compliance and I believe only one in beron County let's not be one of them at least four of those districts are being sued for adopting policies or actions that violate state civil rights law your job as a board as you well know and you don't need me to tell you is to abide by the ethical and legal responsibilities of your elected position that's it that's your lane to stay in keeping in place policy 5756 is in line with you doing your job well so leave it you have plenty of other things to worry about like replacing teachers who are retiring or leaving you know I heard there's going to be two openings at the high school for music teachers and you know marching B practice usually starts in June the clock is ticking also we have never had a librarian in the Intermediate School students Vape in the high school bathrooms all day I think we have building problems these are things that you need to be paying attention to like you do with every policy that comes down from the state you get advice from legal and other experts to help you understand what each policy is so you can approve it for implementation in our district experts have created this policy so take heed from child psychology experts and others who crafted this policy and are well versed in its need and efficacy repealing 5756 doesn't change the underlying New Jersey law against discrimination all it does is deprive our teachers counselors and principles of guidance on how to make sure they are following that law guidance not the law 5756 works because it gives them guidance none of you have the time or the money to fight a legal battle with the state of New Jersey with our tax dollars be welcoming to all of our students educ Educators and families be decent be fair do your job well leave 5657 in place and very quickly there are 196 people who have signed an online petition asking to keep this in place most of them are students and the letters that were written were written anonymously because students are afraid keep this in mind protect them be decent be fair do your job thank you iPhone you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes oh sorry uh hi my name is faton Hassan sorry it doesn't I don't know why it says unable to access camera um faton Hassan Kingsland Lane I just wanted to say that um I can appreciate all of the speakers and their opinions and hopefully everyone can be more empathetic as they are witnesses to current events uh my question today is um is there anything happening with uh Ramadan uh celebration or recognition or anything at all to do with Ramadan which begins uh March 10th at night and children begin fasting March 11th thank you thank you for your question I know that our U of our committees met we discussed how we could work with the town to create some kind of uh recognition of Ramadan I know I we are are looking at activities within the schools I believe the schools some of the schools are doing some of that those events as well but I know that met recently regarding that work thank you Ben Tang you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes benang Ben Tang I'm gonna put you back with the other ATT hi can you hear me there you go yes hello yes we can hear you hi hello can you hear me yes we can hear you hello hi can you hear me yes we okay I'm sorry I'm I'm so new to this hi good evening my name is bang and I live in 435 Westfield plays fortly my sixth grade uh daughter has been without a permanent Home Room teacher since September due to Extended maternity leave the school struggles to find a long-term substitute since last Monday she had the daily rotation of teachers for ELA and social studies and she told me that she had a hard time learning and getting anything done since this is a problem and meanwhile we are debating policy 5756 that has existed for nine years it was voted unanimously by the board including the then board member who brings up this very topic now a teacher who works in this schools district for 27 years says that he hasn't experienced this issue the school and the board's priority is to provide a safe environment for kids to learn it encourages each kids to be unique to have their own thoughts and to figure out who they are and who they want to be this is why I like the American education system and that's why I believe policy 5756 in essence is to let kids to figure things out in a safe environment we must remember kids spend only 40 hours in school each week the rest of our the rest is our responsibility as parents if you do the math there are 128 Hours for parents 128 Hours for parents instead of demanding the school to tell you what your kid is doing or saying at school let's prioritize spending more quality time with our kids during the other 128 hours a week take the time to be with them encourage them to talk to you listen to them open up to them home is where our heart is if you love your kids give them some space and let them figure things out I trust the fly Educators judgment under the Law's guidance to say the school harms the kids is absurd I ask the board and the superintendent to look for resources to have better communication at home like family communication workshops let's focus on the children not lawsuits we need teachers not lawyers you heard the students voice they are in your District it's your job to protect them keep the policy and get back to education thank you Leonid you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Leonid can you hear me yes okay uh we need 458 was replace I rece I got a hold of the letter from a reporter ke Lombard I'll just read a few uh lines urgent news this Monday there will be bard of Education meeting and which will attempt to repeal policy 5756 we must act now to help protect ourselves and our peers we need to get as many people as possible to write letters for board meeting for the board meeting uh you can write about personal experience potential issues if it is repealed and concerns in general for Trans Community overall they need to emphasize and state how important policy 5756 is in protecting our students so that tells me these letters from the students are fake these are lives sorry and the parents who want 5756 why don't they inform the board that they don't want to be notified if their children are transitioning but I as a parent I want to be notified and that's my right so repeal the policy this policy is this policy separates parent from the child that's it that's it for me jpf you've been promoted to panelists please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes okay good evening everyone I'm Jay a father husband voter and resident of one Wall Street here in the Coitsville section of Fort Lee I have one kid in the district she's in school number three alongside my husband who is an educator and public school teacher in New York City I have to say first and foremost those letters read earlier anonymously really hit home because the truth of the matter is those kids represent me I was once in their shoes they learn they yearn the same desires I did as a non out lgbtq youth 22 years ago when I was in the public school system I am a gay man I am speaking as a gay man I can't speak for all lgbtq members but I can confidently speak from a firsthand experience and firstperson perspective my parents are heterosexual I would suggest you do what my parents did they talked to me you know believe it or not that worked it yes it was in the late 90s and early 2000s but it's no different than today and I believe back then that one day when I was ready I would tell my mother and stepfather that I was gay and it was my choice and that's how it should be often with our kid my daughter being born of two gay men and a and a child born of VI surrogacy she is automatically othered that does not affect her though we taught her to advocate for herself as we do often from the very day that she was born and long before we decided that we become gay parents in the first place I believe that she is the beacon of this next Generation because we teach her how to handle uncomfortable conversations with people who do not understand her and most most importantly do not understand lgbtq people we merely say that we exist because we are human and we deserve support I'm glad that policy 57 5 six is in place although it protects transgender children emotionally it had had it been in place when I was a gay youth I would have felt that it was also set in place to protect me it would have protected me from being outed to my parents before I was ready no one deserves to be dragged out of the closet that in my opinion is the single most damaging life event that could possibly happen to anyone especially a child being a member of the lgbtq community we will tell you Our Truth when we are ready repealing policy 5756 would not change the New Jersey law against discrimination or our school's responsibility to follow that law all it would do is to leave our teachers without any guidance on how to follow that law and send a clear message that our schools don't care about creating a safe space welcoming environment for lgbtq kids and families I hope that this board will continue to look to the future rather than considering religating a common sense policy that has been in place for five years years so my ask as a parent is very simple show all the kids are welcome kids who are me and feel safe being who they want to be in the Fort Lee Schools Le 5756 policy in place thank you Jr you been promoted the panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Jr can you hear me yes oh hi um my name is Janette Rivera I'm at 800 Palisade I I forgive me I don't really know how to work this thing very well um I just want to say that uh you know safe adults don't keep secrets okay long before the children went to the school they were under the care the love the guidance of the parent long after they are gone from the school it will be the parent who will be there for that child as they enter adulthood I don't know if people are aware that the climate nowadays is fomenting a great deal of mistrust keeping secrets from parents will do nothing else but second get their choices of sending the children to the school district now I don't know why we have such a large feater shortage I wonder why but I wonder if in the future what we will see is a lot of children choose to go elsewhere for their schooling bottom line is parents have rights too your rights and my rights in this country fortunately are the same we all work together we work best together the Educators the parents the children okay secrets that's going to backfire and not only will it backfire but it's going to create a hostile environment an environment where there is no trust and I don't know where people are bringing up all of this nons support for lgtbq there's anything there's this country supports lgbtq I have not heard of an instance you know one nation under God not for some people for everyone and as I write out that an incredible uh tax check that I write out I ask myself am I happy with the things that are going on in Fort Lee I love Fort Lee I won't be happy if you do not repeal this 57 56 because I will then know that I'm not respected as a parent as an adult as a citizen and that I am set aside like I said long before the school came along and long after the school it will be the parent thank you Margarita big odner you've been promoted to pan please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes uh hello uh can you hear me yes uh Margarita VOD five Victoria please um so I wonder that um instead of uh focusing on keeping the Poli policy 5756 why don't we focus on the procedure that school has to have and the district has to have to identify any kind of abuse at home um I believe most of the forly parents are supportive we're talking about very very small percentage of parents that would not be supportive for their kids uh to their kids but let me remind you there are parents that being abusive because of the grades there are parents that being abusive because of the bad behavior in school kids being being punished for their performance at school for the behavior school for Vaping in the bathroom okay but the schools still connect to the parents right connects to the parents and provide all the informations about the grades about the behavior right so uh we always have to communicate to the parents but we also have to make sure that the school school still will be a safe place school is a safe place for variety of reasons some kids being you know Abus abusing Home and these cases have to be identified and there should be a mechanism at school to support the students okay but you know School we're not only talking about school being a safe place even without the spy school still be a safe place we are talking about medical procedures that can be allowed for young kids for for teens to under go very serious medical procedures we're not talking just about feeling nice at school which still be place right we are talking about undergoing really difficult very heavy medical procedures and some countries are ahead of us with that if you wonder what would happen let's look at UK where thousands of parents now suing clinics these are the expert that you want to trust by the way right because those kids were pushed for easy transition there are also ches I heard here a gay men were pushed into transition when they you know because they thought they feel as woman they were never asked they were never questioned by psychologists and now they're transitioning back because they didn't have to transition they just gay man they they didn't have to transition and their their health is ruined they're always in pain their brain is not working because all those estrogens that affect brain now they have to transition back it's all so what the worst case scenario that the child will transition when he or she is 18 right that's the worst case scenario if parents don't agree if parents agree they will decide it at home so I'm actually for having a procedure to identify any type of non-supportive or abusive environment for any student thank you just a quick note if there's anyone else out there that would like to speak please press the raise your hand button now to ensure that you're in the queue Amina you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Amina hello yes can you hear me hi sorry um I'm not sure if I'll articulate this well but I'll give it a go since I have three minutes if yes you as parents have their right um to certain things but we also have the right to safely pursue our education and safely go to our counselors and actually uh what do you call there are much larger concerns I think than having this reaal because regardless whether whether you agree or disagree or not if your child doesn't feel safe with you that's not holding Secrets the phrasing of Secrets I think is grossly misconstrued because Secrets imply that somebody is going behind your back to do something but if somebody's holding secrets from you that's not holding a secret that is surviving and uh I'm sure you can do the research on your own nobody is doing medical procedures behind parents back you can you can even barely get therapy or Med medication without actually a parent signature if you're under the age of 18 these if this is re-appeal all it comes down to is if you truly care about your children and if you care about the protection of Youth this will harm us regardless it will harm us if people are forced to come out and forced to do things against their will if you want your children to talk to you please talk to us Foster safe environments create these safe environments for us to come to you we will come to you but you have to create that space and I'm telling you now it will really deeply harm us and it is disgusting that some people want to reform it I ask you to please reconsider for our safety thank you Hudson alanes you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have 3 minutes uh hi my name is Hudson ALB uh I live at for Horizon Road can everyone hear me okay just wait one second please just one second Hudson I'm sorry know that you need to and remove I I was just called trans sitting here by this man excuse me um everyone in the public um just please be mindful not to disrupt the meeting just ask everyone's respect everyone in the meeting um please refrain from directing any comments to any member of the public if you have a comment to make you can make it to the board through the board chair when you're recognized to speak at the microphone please do not disrupt the other speakers who have waited hours Hudson thank you for your patience hi uh hi my name is H albanes I live at for Horizon Road and I'm a freshman at fortly high school I've been a student in the fortly district sent Kinder Garden from a very very from a very early age I knew I wasn't like other boys in my class throughout all of elementary school I I didn't like sports I played with girls not guys but I started to really struggle with my identity when I got to the inter Intermediate School I realized that I was different from those other guys I grew out my hair I brought one of my mom's purses to school I I even put on makeup sometimes but through all of that through all of the bullying and HIV reports I had to open I was fortunate enough to have my parents and guidance counselors that supported me I was able to safely explore my identity and figure out that I was gay not all Queer kids are this fortunate especially trans and non-binary ones sometimes I look back and think think what if my parents weren't supportive what if I had gone to my guidance counselor and I told her how I was feeling about my sexuality and my identity and she was required to notify my parents who might not have been supportive these trans and queer students who feel comfortable enough to be themselves at school but not yet at home maybe there's a reason for that yes it is a parents duty to protect and love their child but I personally have several friends who feel so afraid of their parents finding out that they're queer that they do anything to stop it from getting out so many of my friends parents don't believe in this mental health stuff and the majority of them with parents like that are queer what if one of my friends was dangerously added out of nowhere although I was lucky to have supporting parents the majority of my queer friends do not they should be able to decide when they want to come out and who to come out to when it is safe for them to come out please I beg you do not remove or change policy 5757 5756 doing so would completely remove the protection of our trans and queer youth my friends and students of your school district thank you Jean sunic you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes me yes Jean yes hi um I'm sorry I missed most of the meeting but it is my understanding that there is the issue of parental rights going back and forth and without getting into too much details you know there's um a lot of uh catchphrases and catchy words that could be going back and forth in support or not support but I I will say as a parent um in Fort Le uh it is absolutely important for parents to uh to be involved and I strongly support parent rights um the the children you still have to understand at uh they're not at a legal age and it is our parental responsibility to be able to to um make decisions for them um in terms of what kind of guidance and steps they need to take uh that we take for them uh to help and guide them if there is nothing uh that is brought to the parents attention uh in terms of how the child wants to uh uh go forward in any uh feelings that they have it is a parents right uh to be able to be a part of it I think it's also a parental legal right just like we're legally responsible for the actions that they take under the age of 18 uh whether um let's say God forbid a child gets into a car accident guess whose responsibility that is that's the parental responsibility so we have that responsibility and we should not take that away from the parents so you know we can go out there and and um use all the catchphrases or or or say whatever you want to say I mean the bottom line parent is a parent and I speak to lots of parents and they strongly feel the same way and I also want to U remind everybody that that's how uh people vote as well and that's what we voted for as constituents to put in place um the uh the the board um uh the board that that's in place right now um from what I understand um you know ran on it and um most of the votes went there and uh the fort Le strong team did win of the majority of seats so I just want to remind everybody that and um that's it you know it's it's not a question of of uh going back and forth um of uh you know uh it's I don't know you know it's just black and white to me if parent parents are par parents you you know you guys get the kids but we have the kids we raise the kids and it's it's all right thank you thank you oh I'm I'm done I don't know it rang it AAR you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Asar hi uh can you hear me yes uh sorry what are the requirements again um please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes okay uh so sorry my legal name is Hannah Yang uh jasine wayi uh so as you heard my legal name um so I go by a different name I I really don't like my legal name uh and by repealing this 5756 policy it would put me in danger as not trans but under the trans umbrella I have already told my counselors my teachers I trust them with my identity I trust them with information that I wouldn't trust my parents because they know what it's like to go through it I once told a um a health care provider uh my preferred name and they accidentally added me to my parents accidentally CED um on the car ride home my parents were so mad at me and they were like like never do that again never change your name I was devastated but I know that it was an accident and I forgave her but that's the issue if students are outed they will be put in potential dangers and like even possibly get kicked out of their homes uh and like there's so many things that could happen especially with like um parents like I'm Asian and my parents are like they don't believe in mental health they don't believe in the lgbtq I'm just concerned for other people on how their parents would have reacted because my parents my parents they were like well you should never change your name that is what we've given you but I'm worried about the other people's parents who will overthink everything they will overdramatize everything and they could possibly even harm their child with the anger uh yeah that's it thank you Ally you've been promoted to panelist please unmute your microphone and feel free to share your video please state your name and address for the record you have three minutes Ali hello my name is Ally and I live at 363 coolage Avenue I'm very nervous right now and I hope that I can articulate my words very well so I'm sorry if I like um like mess up or something but I think that if the ACT 5756 act gets repealed that would put so many students in danger and it would be very detrimental to students mental health and their family situations because there's no guarantee that every parent in Fort Lee is supportive of trans kids and trans individuals like I think where most parents are coming from I understand that you want to you know not have secrets from your kids or whatnot and that you feel entitled to do so but trans individuals have high suicide rates higher than any other member of the lgbtq community and I think that it's the environment in which the kids are surrounded by that makes them feel whether or not they want to say or talk about their identity that if it removed people's lives are at risk because everyone's family situation is different and I think that most parents are thinking oh well other parents like must be supportive or something right but there's no guarantee about that and so many students can like be put at risk or danger because of homophobic parents or the dangerous living situations if they were to be outed and it hurts to like see that kids might their lives might be in danger because this policy gets removed and it's very scary to think that it's happening like right now in this day and age that's all I have to say thank you for listening there are no more raised hands motion to close the floor to the public second motion second Cur all in favor any opposed or exensions okay moving on to resolutions I'd like to make a motion to um resend policy 5756 second I'll second it okay um mean the motion mov in second we going to vot on it now discussion on it for anyone yeah that's why I my point was whether we're going to have discussion now or we're going to add it to the agenda for leader time at all motion was made doing that just um I made the legal matter for the board members pursuing to your bylaws 0131 um this is one that I will admit I've never seen anywhere in City New Jersey um because you adopt Robert Rules of Order um which does not require more than one reading or a prior introduction before a body resends or abolishes a bylaw or a policy however you also adopt a b policy manual every year and you have to abide by that you take an O to abide by it so pursuant to your bylaw 0131 again I've never seen this before but in the about third or fourth paragraph down um it says that bylaws policies and regulations may be adopted and revised at any meeting of the board provided the proposed adoption or revision has been approved by the board at a previous meeting of the board so I interpret this as needing two votes essentially so you vote tonight to resem or abolish it you'll have to vote at the next meeting to do the same as indicated if it is uh abolished and my comments were uh uh echoing the opinion of the State Department of Education the commissioner as well as the Attorney General um but they were not for or against your actions tonight this is something that's within your prerogative as a board to set policy um this one of the three things you can do adopt a budget hire superintendent to policy um however in the absence of this policy you would still be bound to comply with the federal and state law so again you just need two votes tonight then at our next meeting well the vote tonight which is one and then the vote at the second meeting which is two at which if it succeeds by majority vote of members present and voting it will then be abolished resend any other questions or comments about the policy what about the a resolution rather open to discussion yes I mean I think you know I think my biggest concern is when I heard that there's a student in this District that is currently being transition behind their parents back at least one possibly more the concern I have is that this parent was given no due process whatsoever there's no police records there's or at least that I I'm not familiar with specific instance but it is uh as far as my as far as I know um this these parents are good people there's nothing to indicate that they're not there's nothing to indicate that their parental rights the the in my opinion the the the greatest right you have as a human being is your parental rights and unless there's a really good reason to take that away from someone I have a really really hard time wrapping myself around that and for that reason I will AB go through I'd like to say that I was um deeply touched by all the letters of all the of and the students voices um and I don't think that um having parents involved in students lives u means that someone is going to go down the hallway of the high school and start calling people that's not what that is not at all what this would be um this is a policy that goes all the way to kindergarten level um kindergarten first second third fourth fifth sixth graders you I mean you're talking about very small children who who are very easily confused and um there's not a reason to make a big deal out of it everyone is beautiful and loved and I think most of the people even who spoke and um I probably know most of the letters the of the young people who wrote the letters um you know and I would never ever be against anybody and that's not it I want the best for the students and the amilies and it is in no way like I said taking someone going down the hallway and saying anything about anybody it is only in certain circumstances that the lawyer just mentioned that things would would take place so so I think a lot of we heard a lot about misinformation but I think um a lot of the comments um have presumptions and assumptions and and fallacies built into it number one that if we don't have this policy somehow the fortly schools won't be safe and we won't be inclusive and like critical protections are being taken away none of that is true at all because the law the New Jersey law against discrimination provides the protection um that's necessary here this policy is conflicting it's part of it we can't live up to for me it's worse to have a policy and not be able to honor every word of it and the spirit just to have it on the books um I'm also very influenced I could probably get my my head around the policy if it was relating to high school students or possibly um the middle school but I fundamentally have have an issue that a first grader a kindergartener a second grader um Can Trump and and tell a teacher not to discuss an important subject like this with a parent there the the presumption that a first grader knows better than parents is just something that unfortunately I don't understand how the other position I've tried to be open-minded about it um there are upwards of 30 schools not nine that have already repealed this there are many schools that never adopted it to begin with um the case that was was referred to um with Matt plankin our attorney general against the Handover School District related to a totally different policy it was called 8463 and they tried to craft something that that the the Attorney General's office opposed the judge in that case issued a decision on September 29 2023 and said the following as conceeded by plaintiffs the plaintiff is the government policy 57 56 is not a mandatory policy and school boards were not required to adopt it when the Department of Education released its guidance when this board adopted it in 2019 we understood that it was absolutely mandatory there was no discretion and you couldn't change anything I was on the board I had the discussions and that was the pretext under which it was um adopted nine years ago the decision goes on to State plaintiffs again the government argue that the repeal of 5756 would leave no protections in place for transgender students however while the state guidance was issued presumably to assist School boards in ensuring that school districts do not violate the law against discrimination the law against discrimination Remains the law of the land and was enacted to protect citizens including students from discrimination that law continues to ensure protection for students so our students will be fully protected and our staff will be keep them safe and inclusive it goes on to say in some because policy 5756 is not mandatory the board is free to repeal saying indeed unrefuted representations at oral argument indicated that many districts never even promulgated the policy based on on state guidance therefore because policy 5756 was not mandatory and the law against discrimination provides adequate protection for students the court will not require the defendants to reinstate it pending the litigation so the court said you could repeal it and and the government could not require you to reinstate it I think we've kind of like I understand the focus for everyone is 5756 but when you make decisions you have to look at all your policies and we have I'm not going to read the full policy but we have three policies that are implicated here the first is 9200 character called cooperation between parents and school we just going to read a little bit of it the Board of Education all of us believes that the education of children is a joint responsibility that the board shares with the parents or legal guardians of pupils to ensure that the best interests of the child are served in this process a strong program of communication between home and school must be maintained it is the position of the board that parents or legal Guardians bear the ultimate responsibility for their children's in school Behavior including the behavior of pupils who have reach the legal age of majority but are still for all practical purposes under parental Authority that's our policy that we have to live by 9230 I'm just very long policy I'll just read the first paragraph the board believes that the education of children is a joint responsibility one it shares with the parents or legal Guardians in the school Community to ensure that the best efforts of the child are served in this process a strong program of communication between home and school School must be maintained and parental involvement in District concerns encouraged and then finally the the the the strongest of the policies on this subject is 9240 the Board of Education recognizes that the parent or legal guardians of each child are ultimately responsible for the care and custody of that child and that both parents or legal Guardians share that responsibility equally the board recognizes as well where only one parent has legal custody of a child the rights and responsibilities of the other parent may be limited the board believes that the interests of the child are best served by continuing involvement of both child Childs in the child's life and well-being every parent except this prohibited by federal and state law shall have access to records and information pertaining to his or her emancipated child including but not limited to medical dental insurance child care and educational records so you can't in one breath say that we're going to keep two sets of records and keep allow Secret Lives and secret information and have these these very clear unambiguous policies exist and the second biggest concern of mine is the whole issue of due process there is a presumption that when a child no matter what the age says that something's going to happen at home we take it as gospel and there just has to be more than that a child saying please don't tell my parents I'm sure my son said that on numerous occasions when when he was in school and we had a a a a loving healthy household and if a child comes to a a a staff member or a teacher and indicates in any way shape or form that they feel that they're going to be harmed that second this district has an obligation to call child protective services so you know un under the circumstances here um for the reasons that I've stated I I support repealing it um first before I get my thoughts I want to clarify Dr prev stated that he has one student in District that is identifying as a transgender student he said nothing about transitioning behind the parents backs so clarify is the answer is the answer that we have no students in the district that transitioning where we have not notified the parents because we just heard what seemed to be totally contrary information a student identifying is a female or a male when they're born the other gender does not mean they're transitioning the the question is how many students are we aware of as a district that are transitioning without the parents knowing not asking names not asking grades but I'd like to give my thoughts I don't have that information I don't have is it something that could could have been collected from the guidance counselors so a as the policy there there may be students who have spoken to a teacher there's nothing in the policy that requires that teacher the student says I don't want the counsel to know I don't want an administrator to know but policy states a design of the school so it could be any staff member who was told by a student please don't share that information so can't give you a number there as far as transitioning or whether someone has decided to to say that they are transitioning that we don't keep those records that you just you the rec for that purpose of identifying students all right so I'm giving my perspective from that of a teacher in a public school district for over 20 years and that of a parent with two children in this District first of all similar to some comments from the audience who of people who have worked in public schools as long as this policy has been in place I can count on one hand the number of students who have come forward and ask to be identified by a different gender like over 20 years maybe five and I can say their names in my head and I will not say them out loud I know what their given name was and what we call them in school I received training on how to handle those students I trusted that my colleagues would ask questions of the administration and the counselors not just assume that they knew how to handle it if they had something that they were unsure of they knew where they could find that information so the comments that people are keeping this secret and convincing students to do things behind their parents' backs that is not what teachers do secondly as a parent I'd like to think that I have a great relationship with my children and that they can come to me with anything and good for everyone who does I also o know people who did not come from loving homes who came from homes where they could not tell their parents things and I am thankful that if my child ever felt they could not come to me with something that I send them into two different school buildings on a daily basis where there are people there who can give them the correct guidance and encouragement to come forward and they to us and some of you out there know my children and and I think you would know that my husband and I do a pretty good job raising them and I am in favor of this policy and if you think that that changes my skills as a parent or as an educator or as someone sitting on this board then I'm sorry that you feel that way hi may I speak also I forgot you were there go ahead hi Hi how are you I'm so sorry I want to apologize to the public um for my moving background I've been kicked out of my hotel so I need to change hotel in between um 5756 was a policy that's foreign to me um during my campaign I was asked many questions about it so I read up on it I study about it my kids are not transgender um my kids are not you know they're they're neurotypical they're boring um but they but they share the struggles they have in school acceptance being number one who's popular who's not how they're perceived by their peers and so when I you know read a little more about 5756 the intent as I understand there and as it was explained to me in our policy committee meeting is to provide at least some s bu imperfect some sort of a road map to help our staff our community figure out how to support a transgender Community it's not intended to be secretive in fact in fact I raised the same question what if my kids need help from me because you know no one none of you know my kids better than me you know I gave they stay at my tummy for 10 months God forbid you know you tell me you know my kids better than me but the reality is there are kids who just can't come out and that's what this is for those who can't come out to their family and what if what if they're not getting help from me well I trust I trust our public school system is it perfect it's not but if they feel comfortable that they can go to an adult they can go to a staff they can go to their counselor their teacher and say I'm not am not I'm not sure how to handle this and our counselors our school has an out there's a strict language in the policy that points and give a leadway to our staff to share when mental health when physical health when any harm comes in the way of our student so in in in in the spirit of compassion again not because my kids are or at least not as of now but it's the same way how I feel about the ne neuro um diverse community that it's not meant for me these policies these safeguards these supports amend for those who need help and I'm here to speak up for them I'm a I'm I'm reminded again tonight that um you know I was not supported by existing board member but we work together when I work walk through those doors I am here for the kids I'm here to be a safeguard those of you who see me in in in in in in committee meetings I ask questions in my view I'm going to air on the side of compassion thank you anyone else can you all hear me yes that's what I thought this policy has been in effect since 2015 it was revised in 2016 and revised again in 2019 I understand that we're all human and there are times that we change our mind about one thing or another but there were two people that did vote for this back in 2016 and 2019 and I understand that they probably change their minds maybe they read it differently you know as we get older we think of things differently and I respect I can always agree to disagree as a mother that put both her children through this school district and having a gay son I am so for this I can't even tell you how much my son and all of you a lot of you know who I am a lot of you know who my children are a lot of you had my kids um I'm very close with both them very close both them my older my older son who's very spunky in his way told someone in the high school before he told me I had no problem with that I really didn't cuz sometimes it's too close to comfort and you don't know how to go about telling your mother or your father of who you are and honestly the first time that he told me I turned off the TV sat on the bed with him and he couldn't tell me he was get he told me he was by I guess that's what his middle ground was to me meanwhile I had known it since he was 5 years old I had known it I let it go I said as long as you're a good person and you give to society and you have character and morals I'm fine it was the next year after after talking to somebody in portley high school I'm so grateful to them I can't even tell you that he finally came to me and said to me Mom I'm gay and I said oh thank God because I felt so bad for him I could only only I couldn't even fathom what he was going through so for us not to have the compassion and the empathy for these kids and what they're going through is is an Abomination and I will always vote for this any other board members have comments okay let's go for a roll call vote we have a motion it was moved and seconded so you can v on it now okay so um motion and second motion by buers K second by pbat um so this will be Walkin one p um as our first vote to abolish policy 57 56 one there's no other this one yeah can we please reinstate what we're voting for sure it would be walkon resolution 1 P it will be our first vote there are two two meetings needed to abolish City 5756 there was a motion made by K and a second by K yes M yes M Curry yes Mr KN yes no Mr Lopez no Miss moral no Mr Rino yes M Rector no can you just say the number was the record 54 the record yes okay moving on May I have a motion to approve items 1 B through 3B motion motion Mor second Miss fire P yes Miss call back yes except I stand on my name on 3B I tell I do the same Miss Curry yes Iain for my name on as well Mr Knight yes M yes yes Mr Lopez yes I obain for my name on goie Miss moral yes and I st on my name on three B mrin yes abstaining for my own name on yes and Iain for my name on I have a motion to approve item one b& g motion Morel second please miss P yes Miss PC yes Miss Curry yes Mr Knight yes Miss C yes Mr Lopez yes Miss Morel yes Mr Rino yes M yes I have a motion to approve items 1C through 4C motion second please miss P Yes except for no on 3C Miss PB uh yes except no one 3C Miss Curry yes except no on you are Mr n yes accepted no on Miss Kang uh yes on all of them Mr Lopez yes Miss Morel yes Mr Rino Yes except for 3C vote now M yes I have a motion to approve items 1 F through 6f motion motion Curry second second Byers K roll call please Miss buers K yes Miss PC Yes except I staying on my name on onef even though I didn't get the check but hopefully it's in the mail Miss Curry yes Mr Knight yes Miss poang yes Mr Lopez yes Miss moral yes Mr Rino respector yes may have a motion to approve items 1 p through 16 P second motion morale second call please Miss K yes Miss P yes but with deep regrets for 3p M Rizzo uh thank you for your 31 years um at school four Miss Curry yes Mr Knight yes mang yes Mr Lopez yes and also huge thanks to uh Miss Rizzo for years of country Miss Morel yes with regret to Mary Le Mr Rabino yes and Miss reor yes and many thanks to all of the retirees on tonight's agenda okay moving on is there any old business any new business I have a motion I have business oh sorry yeah I'm sorry it's a it's not really just old business but yes came out ofwhere yeah hello um I last last meeting um Harry uh or a couple weeks ago Harry Welty and uh Joe pone were on uh the agenda for retiring and uh I didn't say congratulations I had my own reasons but um I've worked him out since so I I feel really happy for both of them and uh I wish everybody a happy retirement and um they will be missed especially Mr Welty for 43 years I was 7 years old when he started so uh had to get the Gap break thanks my wrest may have a motion to ADN Mo second Mo morelo good night everyone