one two one two is it coming through the monitor one two one two yeah one two 3 four five e e e e e good evening pursuant to the New Jersey open public meetings act adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a izing such notice in the home News Tribune the Asbury Park Press the board office the schools and on cable vision channel 118 and Verizon files channel 24 and by filing such notice with the Township Clerk this meeting was scheduled for Tuesday November 14th 2023 the board will take formal action on payment of bills and other agenda items Mr Mayor thank you Mr jodano the O Bridge Township Board of Education acknowledges that the law of this state establishes that m members of the public including members of the board have the right to record public board meetings using audio or video recording devices provided that that active recording does not interfere with the business of this public board meeting therefore the board makes it known that any such recording is to be considered the private recording of the individual and in no manner represents the official record of this board board therefore takes no responsibility for such private recording and completely disavows any future years roll call Mr dantono present M JRE present Miss lent Mr Marquetta here Mr Slade here Mr Singh Mr silakowski here Mr Weber and Mr jordano here the quum exists all rise for a pledge of allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God in in in memorium move the Board of Education acknowledged the death of Mary Alice Maher school nurse and expressed its deepest sympathy to her family and friends thank you who would like to read the code of ethics corner for next week I'll do it again okay thank you approval of minutes any questions or discussion okay we will have our report of our student representative to the board next week recognition any questions or discussion yes we we will have three retirees hopefully a couple more we don't know but I'll go over that next week thank you thank you uh anything on their superintendent report or progress towards goals you'd like to mention this week Mr Sido uh nothing this week we we will have our student superintendent report next week any correspondents and we have our special committee reports next week now moving on to what's that we do yes we will have curriculum yeah Chris next week oh okay okay well we're going to go over the policies during the policy section so now we'll go to hearing of the residents on agenda items only okay moving on to policy thank you Mr Jiran so uh in the policy committee meeting we moved right into a policy that uh warranted a lot of public discussion but we do have a stress ese policy alert 231 to go over and we will do that now I'll try and move through this as quickly as possible there is nothing too momentous on this but things that we need to get on for first reading possibly for next week uh if the board is in support uh so taking these in order from the list that board members have from the policy meeting we were just in the school leadership councils is for Abbott districts does not apply to you we do not have to take any action on that policy and regulation 16421 sick leave you already took care of in September those are now your policies that have been adopted policy 2270 religion in the schools uh not as controversial as you would think um the document has been in place for years there is a federal department of education guideline document that is important not only in terms of access and implementation of the establishment and free exercise Clauses of the first amendment in terms of religion but also uh in terms of school funding uh it is a condition of State funding of I'm sorry Federal funding to your district and this is up this document has been slightly updated this year which is happens every couple of years so the short version is uh everything is remaining the same religious exercise and expression is allowed outside of your curriculum not inside of your curriculum and that applies to staff members when they are not administering the curriculum as well as students so that is recommended for adoption as revised unless anyone has any questions if not policy and regulation 2419 threat assessment teams that is a new initiative this year in the state which uh seeks to make sure that a student who has a growing disciplinary record is not a threat to him or herself or others that is also already a policy of record for you we did that in September so no additional action is necessary there just one addition to the board on that one although it was required as a practice on in September 1 of 2023 the district um through initiatives working with Miss Kang's office uh we started that in the spring of 2023 as a practice uh next policy and regulation taking together 3161 and 4161 because that applies the 3,000 supplied to your teaching staff members certified staff members and the 4000s apply to support staff members uh this just clarifies and updates the current state law and regulation language on situations where the Board needs to direct an employee to undergo a fitness for Duty assessment uh minor updates in the process uh nothing substantive if everyone's okay with that that's also recommended for adoption as revised uh we discussed earlier in this school year the J or yes this school year the July 3rd massive change in the sick leave Law applicable to School District employees uh that has been revised already as a result of it policies 3212 and 4212 uh attendance are also being revised because those definitions have a ripple effect into other policies so that is recommended for adoption as revised unless there are any concerns there next the right of policy uh right of privacy policy there is a recommended update it is not required but it is an update to 3324 and 4324 again for certified and non-certified staff members you have a policy in place already that prohibits students from recording staff members at work uh that is a necessary and appropriate thing for the functionality of classrooms and instruction what the new proposed policies do is extend that to anyone else who is in the classroom and the adult who is in the classroom from recording a teacher or staff member performing their job unless there is consent without that revision to the policy like the student policy uh New Jersey is a one- party consent state which means if I call S here on the phone I can record that conversation without his consent and it's perfectly legal uh in a place of public accommodation in an educational entity you can regulate that to protect your teaching staff members and your educational process so board members your pleasure on adding uh 3324 and 4324 to include anyone else not recording staff members without consent everyone comfortable with that or any discussion or request or questions all right we'll add that for a first reading at the next meeting next one the uh policy 3432 and 4432 these are the old separate sick leave policies that got swept up by the new sickle policies so we're ad we're abolishing these uh Examination for cause uh 4161 I'm just going through this list we already covered that one we already covered 4212 and 4324 and 4432 uh next policy and regulation 511 one which is eligibility of Resident and non-resident students this is all the bases upon which students can be admitted or retained in the Oldbridge School District this is a lengthy and required policy I think this is one of the ones that drift above 20 Pages uh but there is just one revision being presented here a 2023 Revision in state law uh 188 383 provides that while a board of education can choose to allow non-residents to be admitted uh and you do so only with payment of tuition uh if you're going to do that on a case-by Case basis you have to set a fixed annual rate and provide it to the county superintendent that does not change your Authority it just changes your process so that is recommended for adoption as revised unless there are any concerns uh relatedly policy and regulation 5116 homeless students this is a mandated policy with with one hopefully never used addition and that is per a revised state law from this summer if an Oldbridge student is displaced and becomes homeless as the result of a natural disaster or terrorist attack that student may remain enrolled in the district for up to two years that's mandatory under state law so that's recommended for adoption as revised uh policy and regulation 54602 is the bridge year that uh like The Masks uh that is a covid policy that has now uh run through its active time the class of 2022 was the last class that would be directly affected by that so that is being abolished as no longer applicable policy 6361 relations with vendors is an Abbot District policy no action is required in Oldbridge and lastly uh the three polic policies 8500 8540 and 8550 Food Services these are mandated policies under state and federal law uh and stes is recommending abolishing the two separate nutrition and meal charge policies and reopt one comprehensive policy 8500 implementing all the requirements and uh streamlining things um there is one option in late in the policy I will speak to Joe and Joe and about that to maintain your status quo as far as meal charges go but with these clarifications we recommend adoption of that as revised as well unless are any concerns so having gone through those rather quickly quick you talking about outstanding food bills with the the students home yes okay if any board members have questions when the first readings appear on your agenda for Tuesday next week we can can talk about them then certainly and that will just be a first reading second reading to appear in December and that's it for policy thank you very much any any questions on those policies C curriculum and professional development items one through four any questions or discussion Finance item number one we'll be approving can I have a motion Dan will move J real second any discussion roll call Mr Slade yes Mr Sakowski yes Mr antono yes M jodrey yes Mr Marquetta yes and Mr gordano yes resolution one passes uh the remaining items two through eight any questions or discussion Athletics items one and two any questions or discussion non certificated personnel office items 1 through three any questions or discussion non-certificated Personnel operational items one through three any questions or discussion non certificated Personnel other item one will be up for vote can I have a motion Jo move Dan second any discussion roll call Mr antono yes M JRE yes Mr maretta yes Mr Slade yes Mr Sakowski yes and Mr gordano yes resolution one passes and the remaining items two through six any questions or discussion certificated Personnel items one and two can I have a motion dun move Joe dille second any discussion roll call Miss jodry yes Mr maretta yes Mr Slade yes Mr Sakowski yes Mr antono yes and Mr jordano yes resolution one and two pass and the remaining items 3 through 14 any questions or discussion okay non-certificated Personnel Transportation items one and two any questions or discussion Transportation items one through three any questions or discussion supplies equipment and services items one and two any questions or discussion misscellaneous items one through four or five any questions or discussion board secretary and board business item number one any questions or discussion okay moving on to hearing of the residents on any school district issue hi everyone my name is Elena Francisco I am a parent and a resident it's on I guess I'm just gonna scoot it this way is that okay you hear me okay so just give me a second here so I I had something uh prepared for tonight um which I will get to um however I just wanted to address a couple of other things first um something that I think just kind of made me a little sad tonight um that I heard some words kind of thrown around right the word like bigot um many times and it it's disheartening for me to hear um just because many of us do not agree with this policy that doesn't make us what that word defines we are concerned parents we love all people and I feel like I have to say this to kind of give some perspective although some people have thrown it back in my face in the past but I'll say it again um my sister-in-law is married to a woman my kids have two aunts they're cousins have two moms and that's just how it is in our family and we adore each and every one of them and we're a family just like everybody else my issue or a lot of us our issue isn't with anyone in the lgbtq community it isn't with how anybody identifies at all I love everybody it's with parental notification and with sharing of facilities that's where I mean I'll speak for myself right now but I know that many agree so I just wanted to to clarify that because that part made me sad because that's not who I am and that's not who a lot of us are um secondly um jumping around a little bit because I just wanted to gather myself here um Mr Slade you mentioned um revising the policy which I can completely respect right because um I think that you have and and a lot of us here up up here here in the audience um we we kind of preach collaboration and um cooperation that's how we compromise and how we we make strides right for our kids um but unfortunately the state has left us with no choice because if you revise this policy you will be sued um just like Middletown Marboro and manalpan English town the only ones who have rev revised this policy have been sued um Lafayette col snack Lacy hell Hanover Howell sus sussek wage kinan Millstone Bernards Sparta and Franklin Township have all repealed with no repercussions and I understand that the goal here would be to work together but the state unfortunately has has left us with no choice and if you're worried about money like Mrs Joy has mentioned which of course is a concern for any taxpayer um just repeal the policy I know that it isn't ideal for both sides and I hate to say that but that's kind of the way it's been all night um just repeal it there's no no repercussions for repealing it um so and then I just want to get to what I was originally um going to say tonight so hopefully I have enough time to get through it um I'm going to start by referencing my time as an educator during the time I was teaching at the elementary level I had a myriad of opportunities to interact with my students families and Guardians I taught in a district where parental involvement wasn't as strong as the teachers would have liked it to be and why would they want it to be strong because research and Common Sense tells us that students succeed when teachers parents and students work together and trust each other I can sit here all night and tell anecdotal stories of how many of my students succeeded when their parents and I were in close communication and developed a dynamic of trust and cooperation I can also tell many stories of how some of my students did not succeed when their parents at their own doing were not part of the equation policy 5756 will undoubtedly hinder trust within our school Community if we take away any part of this essential equation we will not have what we need for children to succeed academically physically and most importantly mentally and emotionally open and honest communication is crucial for our children to thrive if we allow this policy to come between teachers and parents imagine the breakdown of what we have worked so hard to build can we also for a second think about our teachers considering this is the perspective I'm going with tonight for those of you in support of this policy have you thought about the negative effects this policy would have on our Educators imagine having to go home to your own family each night knowing that you are keeping a huge secret from your students family a secret that can have detrimental effect on that child and family as a teacher I would never want to keep a secret from a family unless of course like I've stated in the past there is a documented case of abuse which we would handle on a caseby Case basis just like we have since the dawn of time and education has started another perspective that I'd like to offer and I I know that there'll be um a little talk about this one but this is this is what I see and what I hear um how do you think our teachers truly feel about all of this and I'm I'm I'm sure it's it's mixed um I know that there's a few that maybe have come forward in support of the policy but there are many who haven't spoken against it and I know for a fact there are many who who don't want to see this policy stay in place well have you asked yourself why you haven't heard from any of these teachers am I done yeah okay all right thank you everyone for listening thank [Applause] you can I just ask a question just a point of clarity for the next speaker speak because M Francisco brings up a good point and it's been talked about a lot tonight but you said something at the end but I don't know if ibody caught it is under this policy an obligation to keep a secret from parents and uh and staff no the the policy the language on Parental notification says that there is no affirmative duty to notify parents so it is not required to notify parents it is not prohibited to notify parents under the current policy as it exists here we go all right my name is Dean krer a concerned citizen I mean in fact I would have loved to send my daughter who's seven years old to a school but I can't my wife has to stay home I have I'm the main provider of income because actually we don't trust the school so what I'm hearing tonight is the school is creating a safe space for kids but in fact I actually think they're creating an unsafe space I mean let me tell you this I'm not getting into the argument of transgender whoever wants to be that's the moral argument okay I have my morals you can have your morals you can't tell me I'm right you can't tell me you're wrong it's called moral relativism okay we want to go there but here is the thing we are running on the assumption that kids are safe at school with teachers do you know how many teachers are arrested every day for crimes against children you know how many I can go on and on in every second crimes against children grooming children and that rate is increasing listen schools were created to teach children on subjects why is the US education system failing children compared to other countries I mean kids around the world can smoke our kids in academics my wife is from India they can smoke everyone here everyone here in all subjects and the teachers can smoke American teachers why because they're not having board meetings like this that's that's why their kids are generally smarter it's a fact okay that's not not this is not an opinion this is a fact schools are meant to keep kids safe but you're not keeping them safe by refusing meaningful information from the parents in fact any school that adopts such a policy has become a threat and lastly let's be real we are discussing a possible situation that could lead a child to make a life altering irreversible decision to his or her body parents may not know I hear what you're saying but a teacher initially having that discussion could lead a kid to have that you know what's going to happen you have many lawsuits when that kid's 21 years old and says you know what I was fooled I don't want this they're going to sue the school they're going to sue the person so we're talking about lawsuits now the tide is turning there's going to be a generation that's going to sue the pants off of everyone who's involved that's going to happen so I want you to realize that um this is not about parental this is not about transgenderism this is about keeping parents notified on every decision the child has the child's brains are not even developed why can't you drive until you're 18 why not 15 because your brain's not developed so you can't take it undeveloped I mean your brains aren't even developed into your 20s right 18 20 30 so I mean let's speak a little bit of common sense and I wouldn't I wouldn't be intimidated by New Jersey these people you know they're going to sue you I would not be intimidated by the people I would protect the children not be intimidated by the Attorney General the threats that he has because the tide will turn there will be a new generation rising up if you think this is going to be like this forever it will not people are going to look back at this and be like what were you guys [Applause] thinking Hi how are you um Jill dearo and I'm a resident and full disclosure I am a member of the Oldbridge toown Council I had no intention of speaking tonight I actually you know when I saw all of the people that were speaking that that lined up to speak I thought anything that I had to say was already being said so um first of all I want to thank um Jen duno and Margie jry for um your wellth thought out well educated comment taking into account all students in the district and listening to the parents and the Educators and the social workers and the members of the lgbtt community that came out to speak tonight at the policy meeting I thank you very much um I also want to say that I'm disappointed in board members who didn't speak and didn't share their opinions because as members of the public we are entitled to know how you think and how you're going to vote especially on such a very very hot topic as this so I'm disappointed that um there were members of the board that chose not to speak tonight um my question is uh so this policy was amended to the way it is I believe in 2017 my question is how many times has it been applied so because I'm trying to figure out what the outrage is I'm trying to figure out why all of a sudden this is such a Hot Topic since this has been on the book since 2017 I'm trying to figure out it it's it's racking my brain trying to figure out so there must be a lot of times that this policy has been applied for there to be such outrage and you know so I'd like you guys to answer that question how many times um with regard to statements made that teachers don't want this um things like that I mean I was sitting by a teacher tonight at the policy meeting she was outraged at the people that want to repeal this I mean it it's not you're not pitting teachers against parents you're just creating a safe space if a child if a student wants to speak to a teacher that's all you're doing it's not about teachers aren't absolutely not going out to seek these children these children are feeling safe to they're they're they're finding these teachers as a safe space like was said tonight that some that that clearly people weren't listening to it's a safe space for that child to talk to until they're ready to speak to their parent and most of the mo all of the parents here tonight I don't think this policy is going to apply to it all because clearly are all loving parents and clearly your child is going to share whatever with you but again it's that 1% that one kid that's all this is protecting and that it should be it should be protecting those kids that cannot speak for themselves that are in fear so thank you very much for your time and if you know when this portion is done if you guys can answer the question how many times has this policy 5756 been applied since 2017 thank you good evening again my name is Kim Lindley I'm a former special ed teacher I had two children I have two children and as a perspective as a teacher and my point as a parent as well I had to speak up for my child who couldn't speak I was involved and yes I knew the laws but for those parents and each child my I didn't know the child's one of them had anxiety it's not displayed and as far as being communicative to the parents every word I spoke every email I wrote I wrote as my child I I thought of that parent so communication is being um I guess not as imperative as it is and the trust issue is huge because if a parent thinks that they're not being told the truth that right there is putting a wall a division especially with elementary kids as well and the other thing Especial that needs children writing an IEP a parent has parental rights to be involved in that what about those those children who don't know who can't communicate and what about the children that are being bullied they can't afraid to tell their parents and then children commit suicide for different reasons so there's so much in in involved in this issue that if you go ahead and especially the brain and the prefrontal cortex and if a child or person's not really fully matured until 25 how in the world and even as they get older I mean how can you make a decision at this point which uh Encompass them the whole life you know a parent is there to feed provide as we all need legally I'm responsible legally I'm responsible for the get to school legally I'm responsible for all these things and like the the um frer what we're entitled to we're entitled to the records how can that be now this is a um the elephant in the room so that is another thing that's not being totally addressed specifically you have en ements to your rights to your children to go into school to get lessons plans to be involved you know it is about listening and communicating but also experience so as when you come as an educator and as you come as a thing I'm my child's voice no one knows my child better than me and also what about all these other children that aren't experiencing those children with um challenges of of dysphoria what about them who's speaking up for them and that would be my child I know I would be speaking here and others would try to but there's so much involved in this it's not a one dumb thank you ma'am that's not the way it goes and teaching is not that way in each child you have um you don't teach to one child anymore you teach to the classroom to the special needs you have files and if you know there may be a possibility of a file there like where do you begin from that it's just uh something that it can't just be answered so if you discriminate you save one child you're discriminating all these other children and their parents so and and as everybody knows you have to assess your child to look at their their clothes you have to look at is there a change in their their their behavior and why and as a parent you're thinking what's happening at school you go to the teacher as a parent vice versa what's going on with that child is there's something at home notifying taking notes so that's all I really have to say and um it's just not one thing thanks and thank you for your time um my name is kale partman um also I wanted to set the record straight I know somebody mentioned talking talking about uh being black and diverse inbd I actually just want to say I'm multi-racial I'm Native American and Latino and I was actually adopted by my dad so I am so who I am absolutely so proud of so please don't go acting like I'm privileged and bigoted because obviously I'm not so anyways I'm not here to bash trans students I'm not here to force them back into the closet or force them out I'm here for those kids who can't be there today I'm here for every single child in school systems to recommend the immediate repealing and policy 5756 our kids deserve better than exclusive policies for the minority that fail to blanket the majority I'm here for every little girl who could be beaten in sports by a person with chromosomes different from them not only am I here for those kids I'm here to find a solution for all kids however this cannot be achieved by division and hate on either side I recently came across an online Forum about tonight that speaks about the opposition who wants to appeal of policy 5756 do you know what we were called Nazis they said it's time to stop people these people before it gets worse they are like a virus they also said we want to control their children I don't want to control their children they have a right to parent I know none of us are perfect but I think calling someone a Nazi pretty clearly draws the line I think saying we need to be stopped in a threatening way crosses the line to whoever said those comments from the pom of my heart shame on you your hateful attitudes will not sub any problems and I hope you see the error of your ways in addition look at the people harassing that man who was just trying toess opinion nobody was aggressive to the person of that the people of that view so why was he a man keenly affected by the policy not allowed to speak I failed to see how the loving tolerant group can be taken seriously after contradicting themselves anyways in addition unfortunately trans people can also be abusers a young lesbian woman interviewed by the BBC describes being raped and sexually abused by a transwoman who threatened out the woman as a Turf if she did not keep silent imagine if that transgender woman was 11 your CH daughters School restroom now obviously I have to say the vast majority of trans women are not rapists just as the vast majority of men aren't rapists however we still protect victims from unnecessary harm every time even at the detriment of men so why not apply the same issues when women rape other women there are alternatives to our current course of action if only we appeal policy 5756 and start a movement for change we can be the difference we can be the movement of hate free of hate and bigotry we can conserve our children's innocence by not listening to the minority who could be here today and not the majority who isn't here also I do just want to say um as a teenager I think it's absolutely abhorent that 5756 is even allowed to continue I was raised here I grew up here a lot of the people who I played with a lot of the people who I volunteered with at the library are directly affected by these policies and I can say I know a lot of people who had mental issues and weren't and the teachers weren't able to tell the parents because they said oh they're trans and that qualifies themselves to tr transness which is kind of weird anyways but I just want to say this policy isn't helping anyone it claims to help people but it really doesn't and I think it's just I think it's a harmful thing to keep alive I think frankly we need to be more aware of how this policy hurts people especially coming from someone who knows people who affected by the policy thank [Applause] you I to okay hello my name is Paulina zosi I live in Oldbridge and I wasn't planning on coming to this meeting I don't even know it existed until a couple uh hours ago where I'm sitting in my kitchen and I'm scrolling through Facebook and I see the flyer and at the same time my dad is dead naming my brother right in front of me uh my brother is 17 years old he's a high school student here at Oldbridge and when he was allowed to identify as his identity through his name through his gender at school and be acknowledged by the teachers here I know that it made a huge impression on him and his happiness even though at home by my father he his identity is still ignored and his wishes are not respected I know that to be able to go to school as who he is and to feel acknowledged was a huge thing and a huge boost to his self-esteem his mental health his ability to focus in school without having to constantly be defending himself and I know that he still does because he tells me about teachers that still deadname him even though he constantly corrects them and I was at the previous meeting and it was brought up that as a parent you would feel devastated if you heard from a teacher that your your your child was identifying as a different gender at school are you devastated that you're creating an unsafe environment at home for your child to not feel comfortable coming out to you and expressing these wishes are you devastated that you don't have the relationship that you thought you did with your child where they feel comfortable telling you that hey Mom Dad I'm having these different thoughts about my gender maybe my name because you're you shouldn't be mad at the teachers that are just trying to they're and it was also brought up that the teachers are grooming these children and talking to them about trans issues they're not doing any of that they're just calling them by the name that is written on the rooll call sheet so my point is that parents were saying that they are not transphobic and that they have nothing against trans kids but in reality you have nothing against trans kids and until it's your kid because you don't want that in your family and you're not creating a space and an environment for your child to feel comfortable enough to express that thank you Charles breitweiser a proud resident of Oldbridge I want to uh Echo something someone just said earlier about the stupid children that we are producing the Indian kids can smoke them using his words but uh if I if I was uh an emperor from a foreign country looking to compete in international markets I'd be see I'd be like yeah yeah waste your time on on something like this it's ridiculous we're not teaching kids capitalism we can't produce kids able to read at college level we can't we are not producing functional adults I don't know about you but I don't want to be a living home with a 40 year-old kid I'm I'm sure a lot of you might agree with me on that but ladies and gentlemen of the board I want you to understand this with your hearts there are good teachers and then there are teachers that are just doing a job the good teachers are the ones that produce the productive adults that we want and we're not getting that cuz we're wasting their time with silly stuff like this now do we want to create a separate group of bullies that nobody can talk to talk about if I said something against uh these GLT kids they'd be attacking me you watch We're who's going to who's going to create a policy to protect the the normal straight white kids we need that that deserves some consideration too now I'm not looking to badmouth anyone or blast anyone I'm just saying can't we do something more productive thank you Teresa Burns Oldbridge resident um I was thinking I'm not just a resident of Oldbridge I'm a resident of society and with that comes a responsibility to sometimes give up something for someone else I'm going to say something controversial and if you have any questions about me personally you can ask me on the side I am unapologetically pro-life to the extent that if it saves one life I give up something and I support this policy as is it is proven to save one and that's it and to the gentlemen who said that they don't want somebody in their house at the age of 40 I I feel for you I am so blessed to have two children that I would keep in my house to the day that I die whether they'd be gay TRS or whatever thank you Gerald mleo uh Neptune I'm the director of the um Dolores Turco Foundation uh and we are we protect children from potential harm um uh our mission is to protect children from abuse and exploitation and I urge you to repeal um the 5756 we believe that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and deserving of love so we do not discriminate for any reason including gender I'd like to begin with a few words for our friends in the LGBT community we are not your enemy we are parents who love our children with all their faults we love you too and we want the best for you your body though was created by God with a specific plan meaning and purpose he knows you intimately and he loves you passionately you do not have to change one thing about your body or yourself just seek and follow the will of God and his design for your life and you will know peace joy and love excuse me sorry could you just address the board sorry not we can't oh I'm so sorry thank you for allowing me to um I'm sorry am I not looking in the right place this this is a little difficult okay um couple things that I do want to point out uh one does have to do with the uh mental health of teens and the um uh the false Incorrect and inaccurate information um uh I'd like to point out the scientific evidence has shown that cross sex medical treatment for children are harmful 19 states have restricted these procedures counseling and watchful waiting is recommended in instead in fact the transgender experiment is being recognized nationally and internationally as the biggest SC child abuse Scandal of our time consequently the Congress has introduced two bills protecting children from experimentation Act and the endex funding of gender experimentation act that would prohibit transgender procedures on minors Nationwide and would prohibit taxpayer funding of these procedures regardless of age uh second thing the transition or suicide claim that parents must choose between a live trans son or a dead daughter vice versa is not supported by scientific evidence in fact The Landmark Swedish study shows that transgender patients as far as 30 follow them as far as 30 years after surgery found that after the sex reassignment surgery the transgender patient was 19 times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the population you probably heard about the um cultural and social factors that have a significant influence on whether a young person identifies as transgender the peer influence I think you've heard of that uh and there is no scientific evidence showing that young children benefit from being taught in school sexuality transgender Identity or homosexuality instead it normalizes sex and anal sex and porn promotes contraception and contributes to the STD epidemic I just want to make a couple points on the law parents do have a fundamental right under the fifth 9th and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution to direct the upbringing Education and Care of their minor children federal courts are striking down illegal and unconstitutional policies that infringe on parental rights a San Diego Court ruled against the governor and state of California regarding a policy such as New Jersey has preventing notifying parents when the children want to change their genders stating quote a parent's right to make decisions concerning care custody control control and medical care of their children is one of the oldest fundamental Liberty interests that Americans enjoy and recently a California school district paid 100,000 to a mom and her daughter for a policy that kept parents in the dark about gender identity excuse me that brings up the um uh the Handover Handover that their law their legal fees are being paid for by Insurance just to let you know taxpayers are not paying for those legal fees um and another District Court um that also made a decision uh regarding policies are contrary to parental rights that that Court stated there is a trifecta harm it harms the child who needs Parental Guidance and possibly mental health intervention it um also harms the parents by providing them of long recognize 14th Amendment right to care and guide and Healthcare decisions but finally it also Harms the administration and staff of the schools who are compelled to violate the parental rights by forcing them to conceal information they feel that is critical for the welfare of their students um there's only one other point that I wanted to make regarding um oh yes I I did want to point out that um a 2021 CDC report shows Stark increases in poor mental health in teens especially among girls 60% of the American female girls that's it sorry thank you thank you hi my name is Terry Esposito I'm a hell resident um I have two of my boys live here in Oldbridge and one of my grandsons live here in Oldbridge as well I'm speaking for them on their behalf as well um someone had stood up to delegitimize the association of American Physicians and surgeons comments on uh one of the policies that miror 5756 I just wanted to um say that they they've been around since 1943 they established they've served thousands and thousands of patients in the state of New Jersey um their um policy is to limit government um individual liberty personal responsibility limited government and the ability to freely practice medicine according to time honored hypocritic principles um they're legitimate organization they are legitimate doctors and uh surgeons and I would respect their opinion um they do stand against these policies that are in effect um sorry I'm a little all over the place um just importantly what they were saying again the most important takeaway here is that no information can be properly withheld from a child's parents particularly and especially when it comes to the medical and mental health of their children uh the current New Jersey Boe disruptive amendments will create an adversarial relationship between child and parent parent and teacher potentially feeling a dangerous and life-threatening environment so I'm just going to throw this out there um when child is developing an interest in gender uh dysphoria um considering the reasons for this happening to to Children um they're attacked on every level of their young psyche it's what they watch on TV Nickelodeon Cartoon Network PBS Disney um shows like Arthur My Little Pony Sesame Street Rugrats docma stuffins Blues cluet everywhere it's in their it's in their conversations you know when they're talking to um their friends it's what they watch on TV uh social media they're being stalked by Predators on social media that they have no idea who they are they think there's somebody their age my sister was one of the original cyber angels and she tracked pedophiles online and she taught the FBI she she gave courses to the FBI on how to track these people who go after children and who poses children themselves and um she knows the deep dark secrets that social media hides and the children are being attacked and if you have a child who's interested in gender dysphoria and changing their pronouns or you know their sex and you know they're being sexualized from all these things that that are coming into their little Minds as they go through their day-to-day lives just watching ing TV or being online on social media um we're talking kids you know from ages 5 to 14 years old you have to ask yourself what's influencing them maybe the parents need to know about this so that they can find out if they're being um tracked by a pedophile or if maybe they're going over to one of their friends's houses and there's an adult there in the house that's making suggestive comments to them you know you have to find out what's going on in this child's life the parents need to know so that they can find out what's going on so that they can keep better track of their child's social media you know interactions so they can keep better track of what is going on in you know the the TV shows and the cartoons that these children are watching while their parents are busy with something else parents need to know because they have a responsibility to protect their child and maybe they don't know that they're being tracked by a predator by a pedophile you know I mean these things happen on a daily basis and happening more and more and more as our kids are being victimized so parents need to know and there should be um a regulation in place that that accommodates the parents and that the teachers should be required to tell the parents not just their obligation or their their choice whether they should or not based on their own personal judgment they should be required to tell the parents when a child experiences gender dysphoria so that the parents can find out where this is coming from what the background is you know protect our child thank you very much hi I'm Mera a transgender girl living in Oldbridge New Jersey personally I view what people are saying as obviously diverse and everyone has different opinions but as someone who has done research and has experienced things in the fields of sports school and home life I would like to put my opinion in my grandparents and most of my dad's side have disowned me and and I haven't seen them for a while because they don't accept me trans people who are going through HRT which means hormone replacement therapy have lower testosterone levels than the average girl meaning the debate on if a trans person deserves to join Sports means nothing and Mr Slade may I just say I love playing field hockey and I love playing sports I love being in a team and I thrive in social groups when I started I was the worst on my team now I'm barely in the top five best players on my team this policy is extremely important for people that need it and I feel as if the people who are speaking for this cause are constantly PR repeating themselves because the people on the opposing side won't listen I've heard people compare this policy to people going through substance abuse and home life abuse which is completely different from a gender identity one in someone's identity and one in someone's way of coping with something please for the sake of transgender children and the overall small group of kids that need this this policy and the reason that this policy is in place please keep it thank you hello oh that's loud hello my name is Christina and I'm an Oldbridge resident parent and incoming Board of Ed member so I think what everyone is confused about is that people who are repealing this policy are being targeted as being against the lgbtq Comm community and that's not what this is obviously not being a part of the community I can't say how you feel and I can only talk for myself the problem we have with this policy is about important life-altering information about our children being kept from us a big topic right now is inclusion but how is this policy inclusive for all 8,000 plus students how does this policy protect all children we live in America where we have the right to have our own opinion we shouldn't be called bigots for thinking differently than you do in my opinion children changed their minds a million times throughout their childhood how is it okay that something that is so permanent be kept from these children's parents schools Across the Nation are short staffed with teachers because Educators do not want to deal with all the nonsense that comes with the job anymore when my child comes home and doesn't know what a signature is that's a problem you want to protect the children who are part of the lgbtq Comm Community but how does this policy actually protect them as everyone has stated this policy has been in effect since 2017 but yet the violence is still happening it is great when a child who doesn't have support of parents at home feels safe to speak to their teacher and that shouldn't change but at the end of the day when school's over these students still have to go home to those parents on the weekends and even when these children graduate these children still have to live with these parents so who's going to protect them then at some point these children have to face their parents so wouldn't it be easier for them to address their parents with the help of a teacher or Gardens counselor people who can actually help educate the parents on this topic please let's keep school to learning our kids need that and the future needs that thank you good evening my name is Kevin Francis I'm a local resident residing nearby South Amboy and I'm speaking on behalf of gayed against groomers New Jersey chapter and we're a nonprofit organization advocating for parental rights all across the country I'm speaking with you tonight because I and many others across New Jersey including parents are deeply concerned about the problematic consequences that are bound to come into the old bridge School District by lying and keeping secrets from a parent from students parents by abolishing parental rights with policy 5756 parents have every right to know if their child is sharing a bathroom with the opposite sex parents parents have every right to know if their child is LGBT parents have every right to know if their child is in mental turmoil and parents knowing who their children are is nonpartisan New Jersey Law also prohibits discrimination based on race sexual orientation religion and ethnicity yet school districts around the state have adapted this vile policy 5756 which prohibits the parent to be notified if their child is in a mental crisis to think this is even a good idea is irresponsible and immoral it is astronomically repulsive that school districts throughout New Jersey are calling parents who want to know about their child's academic life that they're being called bigots homophobes and transphobes your school cannot be parenting other people's children your school cannot influence children with your politics and ideology being proactive encouraging students to be the best that they can be is what has always been done indoctrinating children into thinking they're victims or oppressors is evil Marxist ideology and Must Be Stopped immediately here and across the state of New Jersey policy 5756 needs to be erased and all students deserve help from their parents parental rights is a nonpartisan issue and never was and never will be parents not the Department of Education in New Jersey and across the country need to be raising their own kids we will not stop until you leave the kids alone thank [Applause] you hi everyone um my name is Amy I live in mwan and uh I you know I hope I wasn't too hard with the board uh in the previous policy meeting when I said you know I don't see diversity on the board that might be true but uh you know I have talked to a lot of you and um you know I know many are supportive of the lgbtq plus Community um and you know I I know many of you have an open mind as well um you know it's it's so hard you know first it's hard to be here um and you know to listen everyone is so passionate you have so many facts that are being thrown at you some pseudo facts some you don't even know right maybe you'll Google them later on tonight um you know and it it's I would just rely on the people that you are on The Bard with that spoke tonight you know Jen she shared you know what what can be done as far as if you know a student it feels unsafe to use a bathroom that they can ask for a private space um you know I just feel that so so many people they don't know and they can't relate because it hasn't happened to them there's no way that you can feel exactly you know how much this affects a person and I know parents they're so worried you know that something's going to be held back and something that they won't be able to you know get information from their from their kid but like there are so many laws in place that and good teachers that you know they they will talk to you if there's a behavior problem if there if a kid is struggling with a mental health issue a good teacher is going to collaborate and talk to the parent like there are going to be signs you know all we're talking about right here is gender identity for a trans a transgender child it doesn't affect most parents we're making it about ourselves but it really doesn't it's such a small percentage of students that need to be protected um just Sharon you know when I had the courage to come out um you know I didn't tell my parents first you know I told my friends um and just being able to do that um it was such a relief you know it was a heavy burden that was lifted from me it was the best feeling in the world so to be able to tell you know a teacher to be able to tell someone else besides my parent that gave me the strength that gave me you know the courage there's so many you guys don't understand that aren't part of the lgbtq plus Community how it affects you how it affects you on such a deep level and to be able to sh share that with someone is the most beautiful thing and it will be beautiful when you have the courage to share it with your parent too and there were so many loving parents here today that said they love their children I promise you that child will come to you and tell you when they are ready um and don't that is a beautiful thing that happens too and to lose that you're going to regret it um so I mean that's it I just hope that you please protect the transgender kids um that's most important so thank you board for keeping an open mind hello again um I've never been to one of these I'll come more I promise my name is an I'm a nurse and a mom of three in Oldbridge and um I heard a lot of people from oldridge Bridge speak and I feel like I'm in the movie Foot Loose and I feel like people are going to say we're going to ban rock music and dancing and I just I feel like this policy has been in effect for six years no problem I feel like we're politicizing this you're letting like the big machine uh change a protection for such a small group of people and I really just wish that you would really rethink changing things when it's been working so thank you hi I decided I would get up and speak again because um as I listen to comments oh I'm Carolyn from Oldbridge as I hear uh comments I hear a lot about protecting the children in fact uh one of the board members that spoke earlier he said his first priority is safety for all I think all of us can agree safety yes number one um and I do think that with all the um discussion about trans because of 5756 I think we are forgetting the safety of the majority of the students um I I'm hearing unsolicited by me more and more girls are afraid to use the bathroom and they will go all day long without using the bathroom because they're afraid of a boy being in the restroom um and it's been suggested that uh those girl those students who are afraid to use the restroom that they would line up and use the nurse's restroom and these are students in Oldbridge and and a students in mwan as well this isn't just uh a problem in Oldbridge it is because of this policy and um I I think if we really are concerned about safety for all we do have to consider all the students and these girls who uh you know that that that should be an um something they never have to think about or worry about being able to use the bathroom I think that's the least our schools can do for our kids is make sure they have a safe place to go and use the toilet when they need to they shouldn't be able they shouldn't be fearful that when they go in the um locker room that a boy could be in there um I I can't imagine I graduated from high school in 1976 there was no such thing at that time uh uh as trans students and I certainly had no fear going into a restroom that a boy might be in there um so those children do not feel safe and that is a much greater majority than the children than than the percentage of trans children even the the um the um the Lexicon that's being created uh where we call just Norm normal kids um uh cisgender a pretty derogatory term I I feel bad for kids in school today contending with all all of this it really makes learning difficult um I also just want to say don't underestimate the value of a parent being involved in their child's uh knowing everything that's going on with their child my my father was a teacher um and I grew up in in Florida in the 60s he taught down there in public school he read the Bible to his students every morning that that was not uncommon and that is what kids my generation uh a lot of them grew up with we've come a long way since then not for the better um I think we're losing freedoms rights and freedoms um that uh we enjoyed uh you know not that long ago um I I also want to say with regards to don't underestimate a parent um we had a special needs child um who passed away 10 years ago born with a heart defect and um I spent months sitting at his bedside while he was in the ICU on a ventilator and one thing I learned during that time the doctors and the nurses all said the parents recognize a problem before we the the doctors do and I saw that it was true many times I knew something was wrong with my son before anything came out in the labs that they were checking or the tests that they were doing I knew something had changed and and I think that is part of what is being underestimated and undervalued and ignored when we talk about uh should the parents be involved or should they not should a teacher be required to tell a parent when a child is uh gender confused or or should should should they not I I'm saying um the parents are the greatest asset you have when there's a child that is is uh confused or struggling and they need to know um what's uh what's happening and the parent the parents and the teachers can be allies don't make them adversaries of each other that's what this policy does that's one of the things that it does and I hope you'll reject it any any else hi uh my name is Jean I am an Oldbridge resident for about 20 years um teacher for 18 years not in Oldbridge New York City I don't want to talk about 5756 uh I think I just don't want to talk about that I do want to address some of the things that were discussed here tonight and I would ask that the Board of Education address some of the misinformation officially on the record tonight I heard several things that are kind of heartbreaking being a member of this community and you know as a straight man uh if it's heartbreaking to me I can't even imagine what it's like to other members of the community but I think the board of education has a responsibility to correct the record and I'm asking pleas to correct the record tonight on these particular issues I heard a couple of people talk about the ability to quote protect the normal straight white kids end quote and somebody referred to normal kids being cisgendered um I would like the Board of Education to please affirm the belief that I'm hoping you have that kids who are not straight and kids who are not white and kids who are not sis gender are also normal I heard people talk about the idea that teachers are groomers I ask the board to please vocally officially denounce this absurdly and stand in solidarity with the teachers in the Oldbridge School District I ask you to ass assert to the public officially that you are they are not groomers they are caring and loving members of this community who have the best interest of the students in at heart I heard people refer to the children of this community that we're not producing functional adults we're not producing functional students functional kids in a room where there are young men and women operating equipment that maybe two people in this room know how to use 90% of us myself included probably couldn't figure out how to reset the time on your on your microwave oven a couple of weeks ago and these kids are up here producing a television show with the skills that they learned from Oldbridge school system I ask that you denounce that rhetoric and affirm publicly that our students are growing up to be functional adults and that they are valued I ask that you affirm publicly that being gay and being trans is not a mental illness which is the basis of so many things that we've been hearing all night tonight that somehow this is a mental illness that needs to be addressed please please for the benefit of our children our brothers and sisters our sons our daughters our children please affirm publicly that being gay and being trans is not a mental illness thank you and I also heard somebody say and this is just a legal thing that I would like to address I also heard somebody say that somehow 5756 prohibits and I think this is a quote I wrote it quickly prohibits the parents from being notified when their child is in mental crisis that is absurd it's against the law of like you please to correct that that that is absolutely not what 5756 does so I eagerly await your responses to these thank you very much good evening board again um Christopher P Old Bridge resident 20 years I have two daughters in this uh school system here um I don't think you need to address that those were mostly opinions uh and you're entitled to our opinions we're all entitled to our opinions so um but thank you um you know I came up before I didn't know we're a second chance to come back up um didn't get a chance to actually use uh uh any way to kind of like kind of taper off some of the emotion in my last time um but even a simple query to chat GPT makes no sense makes all the sense that we that we stand here for tonight and I'm just going to go through it so good evening uh today I wanted to discuss a sensitive topic yet it's a significant one a policy that affirms children behaviors in schools specifically those considered outside societal Norms it's outside society's Norms it's a social it's a it's deviation and it always has been uh while inclusivity and understanding are vital we must also consider the appropriateness and impact of such policies in an educational setting this is a simple prompt one one little word one little few words I gave it argument number one age appropriate this uh our primary concern should be creating an age appropriate safe environment for all argument for all students we've heard that from both sides it's essential to balance inclusivity with the development developmental needs of the children also from both sides experts in child psychology emphasize the importance of navigating sexual identity issues with sensitivity especially in those younger children whose understanding of these complex topics are still forming affirmation of certain behaviors or identities must be handled responsibly ensuring it doesn't lead to confus confusion or misguidance about healthy sexual development role of education and parental involvement education's role is to Foster Learning and Development when dealing with topics like sexual identity especially those considered deviant by societal standards schools must work in tandem with parents parents have a fundamental right to be involved in the discussions about their children's development including sexual identity and behavior policies should be developed collaboratively with input from Educators psychologists and parents to ensure they meet the best interest of children see when you have a policy like 5756 you open the door the SL the slippery slope is now been greased and you're able to have sexual deviance into your school and into your programs it's sexual deviance I know that the one over here who's on our phone his phone is actually not really is is following um we must protect the mental emotional wellbeing of the board you have to you have to yeah you have to that's we must protect we must protect the mental well emotional wellbeing yes no sorry you're done you're done you're done schools need to be a Haven for learning not your deviant yeah sorry yeah we got we got it we got it hi guys I was gonna talk before that I apologize I'm very just with the board please keep in mind guys I I'm this is the second year in a row we're dealing with with this we're starting to make our town meeting a state law and mandate forum and we have people coming up here when they should be going to Trenton to talk about this stuff not here so when we're making decisions do that now with that I'm Scott Mella I'm a teacher you know I've heard so much about teachers tonight and and I don't know how many of us are here or what we're doing but there's a gross mischaracterization of what we do all right now I got to calm down because that got me fired up like I'm a treky you didn't think I was going to go there next but um my students know I have a little Captain Kirk in my room a little Spock idic and in inter or uh infinite diversity and infinite combinations I know Dave don't it's going somewhere um in the movie Star Trek 2 they the uh saying was the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and the whole point of the movie was that one of the characters dies and the whole major uh characters they they abandon everything about their they love about their the Starfleet and all that and they go after this one because they care about them and the the point is the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one but they don't and teachers navigate this every single day we always take in mind the needs of everyone and the few and the one and none of us are here for that one everybody comes up here complaining about this mandate isn't going to be the one who has to deal with that kid that we're trying you know to to protect and we're not talking about this all class we have a huge curriculum to do you guys think we're in there saying like all right guys let's see who wants to be gay today all right because I'm gonna spend the next 45 minutes talking about I can't get through my curriculum I teach us history I need I need more school year just to get through it teachers are not groomers we're not indoctrinating we're not Communists I heard that again you brought it up again okay teachers are composers teachers are conducting an an orchestra of beautiful instruments that all sound differently sometimes they sound off when they're by themselves sometimes they want to sound like a different instrument we make it sound beautiful and we want them all to sound wonderful and we have to work with them individually we have to work with them as small groups and as big groups to make a beautiful song at the end we're not grooming anyone we're making music and if you think we're failing I can't believe somebody you come up here and say stuff like that how many of our students get in front of these M like these mics and do this they're they're definitely paying attention in Civics and and in history these guys up here every you know you mentioned this too I mean this is this is I'm so damn proud I'm so damn proud of what we do in this District we have amazing schools we have amazing programs we have amazing School Board we have amazing superintendent assistant superintendent Joe's going to have to stay for five six more years because he's amazing okay so I love what we do and I'm so sick of coming these meetings where we focus on one thing that's not even a thing okay we should be celebrating everything we do and that's my job because I'm also the public relations coordinator but it's like I come here I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels okay we're doing a great job and we love your kids no matter what they want be called you know and we were we love you guys too I love the parents I love them we're one big group but I feel like we're getting lost in the mud here in the muck you know let's be proud okay I don't want to leave on a negative note I want you to come go out of here being proud of being Old Bridge people you moved here for a reason okay and and if you don't live here and you get up here and talk I know there's a concerted movement out there that's must be organizing this because it happens at a lot of board meetings that's dangerous you have a right to talk the school board should not be making decisions based on private political organizations that come in and organizes stuff or religious okay so I I hope you take that in account when you make your decisions okay but remember it's all about the needs of the many but also the needs of the one all right thank you anyone else okay all business any new business I have a few things I'd like to say um I think I have more notes at this meeting than I have any other one um My worry is if we repeal it not only do you have to have the consensus to bring it back when things can be revised but also not only the danger to the student but what about the danger to the staff our kids go and have a safe Corner drill and if for a parent that hasn't been in the room that's like an active shooter drill the kids find the corner away from the door and the window and they gather all of them into the area behind me like as close as I can you have we have we out one student who then takes it to the wrong way and and retaliates against this the staff member that told their parent now not only am I worrying about the student I'm worrying about my staff and I don't want to put the staff in that danger like that's another whole layer to this but Dave to to go to your point thing if p and Chris please answer this if parents are active in their kids education and ask the teachers how are they doing how are the kids doing unless the child says they're in danger are the teachers allowed to answer that question honestly yeah um so it's I would need more clarification what you're you're asking but unless the parents teachers cannot lie to parents if you ask any question about your students's record health record academic record the staff cannot lie to your to you as a parent so again it's it's the active parents the parents that are going to conferences and having that relationship from with this the parents those aren't the parents that don't know it's the parents that don't H provide that safe environment that the kids are worried about going home to um and as far as the self-discovery uh piece that came up before I was a teenager I know I changed my clothes at the bus stop I put on lipstick I listen to music my parents might not have liked you know maybe read a book that wasn't you know the right genre my parents want we all went through some kind of self-discovery that's what teenagers is so and the other part of this I'm not getting with the conversation is we're talking gender identity and there's been a lot of sexuality and sexual orientation brought into this conversation that's not mentioned in this policy so to me they're two different things so and to James point I I think all of the kids are are treated as normal and with the all the teachers that I interact with throughout the school year I don't know any with agendas like Scott said like they just have curriculum they want to get through worried when the principal's going to come and observe them you know or they going to perform awesome that day and the kids actually paid attention and the teachers pass the you know but and all you have to do is go to one of our graduations or listen to um senior night and see where our students are going alridge students are awesome around the world they're going amazing places so I'm proud of overridge I think rdge is doing awesome so that's my two sents any other new business I just I have a question um so to piggyback on M Antonio's points um active parents um everyone's so focused on parental rights but for the parents that are involved you have parental rights all the time I mean the school stopped teaching cursive you know what I did I went to the library I printed out cursive and I brought it home to my daughter for her to learn cursive okay we're all parents right and we all love our kids right parental rights doesn't just stop when they go to school Chris just for clarification and maybe you could clarify I can't um that parental rights policy that we have the third paragraph it says something that the parents should you know they shall have um information to the kids Medical Health well-being and everything else like that does that conflict with 5657 or 57 56 whatever the policy is they can be read together excuse me they can be read together in that the the language in 9240 speaks about Student Records in terms of health uh education Etc uh to horribly simplify it a report card document records the file um every discussion with a teacher or counselor does not necessarily make it into a student record per se how are you today the answer to how are you today you know there was discussion before about a normal kid none of us were normal kids there's no normal answer uh so those two policies are not in conflict with each other necessarily it would depend as always on the situation so let's say the the parent that's actively involved in the child's life the parent would like to find out like to Mr cino's Point as well the parent would like to find out if my child is transitioning if my child would like to be called um Bonnie instead of Bill the parent can call the school or write an email to the administrator of the school or Mr cadino or Mrs hoger and they can say I would like to be notified if my child has this this and this yes regarding the policy the parental rights policy yes the parent could make that request and I as always it would be individually handled in most cases I'm sure that would lead to an immediate dialogue as always there would be exceptions to that rule just like there are with every other interaction between a staff member and a student right but the parent could call write an email yes ask for it and the school would have to give it to them if it's a record yes okay right so if if if the child would like to go as like Bonnie instead of Bill or Bill instead of Bonnie the parent writes an email and says I would like to notify if my child decides to change genders or goes by a different identity I would like to be notified can the parent be notified about that or does 756 not CL does that PO does 50 thank you I'm not a businessman I'm a plumber so yeah does it supersede now 5756 simply says that there is no affirmative Duty for the teacher to or what whatever School employee to proactively make that call based on any discussion that is had if it becomes a record if there is a name change in any Student Records all parents and legal Guardians are immediately have that access access right so parents if you're actively involved do do do your job be a parent and Chris just to drive it home the teachers aren't prohibited they're just not required to notify is that accurate that that's correct okay just my final topic on it not so much about the policy but the the practice that we have here in oldge and I've spoken to um some of our counselors some of our teachers and some of our our students in the lgbtq uh platform and what has been our our practice is that if we have a student who comes and has a conversation with usually as a counselor the counselors work with the student to build build up that relationship to build up that dialogue to be that bridge for that communication process there's no staff member here our step members are tremendous far from groomers they're tremendous people and they work hard to be that relationship that bridge to the family in every one of those situations have I from the counselors that I've spoken to the principles I've spoken to there's not one of the one-third of a percentage Point here of our student base that we're talking about that the parents aren't not not knowledgeable of the of the child's decision and I think that's the important thing that our our our staff does they they work to be the advocate for our students they work toward students to be advocates for themselves but there will also be that bridge of inform information and to do anything less to attack them any way you know M Mr kto makes a great point and I don't know if that's the point you're trying to make is that to attack teachers they're the first person to be standing in front of your kids when we do these lockdown drills they're the ones to put their body in front of them ask yourself how many teachers have been murdered across this country in the past five years by active shooter situations when the targets were kids but the teachers put themselves In Harm's Way and to come to you know this place where we're going to say we're the teachers of the problem our teachers do a great job you know and we we all don't have to have the same opinion but I I I that was the lowest thing I've ever seen in education was for an adult to bully a kid in our schools if that's what Oldbridge has become and if anybody here stands for that and says that's a good thing then we should all you know be ashamed of yourself we have no place in schools if anybody standing here sitting here tonight says that was a good moment today that was [Applause] disgusting any other board comments just one more thing I just want to point out to um Mr Mella and to what Mr cadino just said are there there's bad everything in every profession but I'm willing to put my life on the line to say that 98% of the teachers are exactly like Mr Mella and if you saw the way that he rose up from that desk and defended the the the student okay there's thousands of other teachers just like him that would rise up and like to Mr cino's Point put their body in between harm and safety and what he displayed to rise up as quick as he did and try to shut it down as fast as he did I believe deserves some um uh uh accommodation so Mr Mella thank you and it was it was it was good so thank you thank you anyone else no um so no sorry sorry um so we will not be going to Executive session um so can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting Mara moves I'll second just L second all in favor I I any any opposed any extensions the board is adjourned at 10:02 PM good night