June 17, 2025 | WHRHS Board of Education Meeting

001or shouldn't say extra items but further discussion uh with regard to executive session. Uh next up is uh board correspondence. Um but before we get to that I appreciate obviously we're going to have a bunch of comments tonight. Please do sign up u your name where you're from and then we'll go in that order of the uh signups. Um board correspondence. Dr. Jwitt, what do we got in your board folders? Um there are printed copies of a number of emails we received regarding policy 5756 um as was on our agenda for tonight. Um we did get a few more in u this afternoon since we printed these out. So I want to say there was probably um seven or eight or nine total. Uh and they you can read through them. They um essentially all

002spoke in support of keeping policy 5756 um and shared various comments about um you know its impact on students and protecting students and so you can read those um if you have not done so already. So and I thank everyone who took the time to submit statements and writing to the board. Superintendent comments. There are two items I'd like to share tonight formally. I would also like to comment on last week's graduation. Um we managed to get like one of the two days of good weather in the the past two weeks. Um congratulations to the class of of 2025. It was a beautiful ceremony. Miss Dr. Labbera and Miss Patricia Tobin do an outstanding job of coordinating the ceremony and then it is all hands- on deck from our security team to all of our

003administrators to our teachers. Um, so it was really nice to see everyone there and thank you to the board members and our dignitaries who attended as well. We had a really nice showing. Um, another nice piece of congratulatory news which we will more formally acknowledge in the fall, but NJPSA, that's the New Jersey Principal and Supervisors Association. I know how you all love acronyms. Um, they uh have selected Mr. James Flacker, he's our vice one of our vice principles as the 2025 visionary vice principal of the year. So they came to do a visit about a week or two ago um and just recently announced it. So he will uh receive the award during the NJPSA fall conference in Atlantic City in October and uh we will do something at a board meeting in the

004fall. They actually came to do some filming um the day before graduation. Not that there was anything going on in the building, but they're putting together a video to honor him. So maybe we'll play that at a board meeting in the fall and do some formal recognition for him. But Mr. Clacker uh is a tremendous uh leader here and in addition to his vice principal responsibilities um part of that is he oversees the ninth grade transition into the high school um and works with the eighth graders, works with them over the summer. He works with all of our new teachers and he has also been integral in our design lab planning. So uh I he's very very deserving of this award and we're we're really happy that uh he he was selected. And then the

005other piece I have, it's just the annual um uh stu school self- assessment for determining grades under the anti-bullying bill of rights act. And if you recall, several it's out of 78 points. Several years ago um we had a few areas of improvement just with regard to some training and and uh staff development. And so since then we um have scored 78 out of 78. Um, and it really is just a uh a measure of our fidelity with how we implement the anti-bullying bill of rights act and the programs we have around that as well for student education, for staff education um and then the implementation of it. So that's all I have. Thank you. I too want to congratulate all the graduates and for those who are uh our staff members who get the

006summer off. Hopefully you have a good reinvigorating summer and come back in September ready to go. Um the um it's odd cuz I uh when we're discussing the budget, we were looking at ways to cut money and what we could, what we couldn't do. Obviously, education is required by law and I probably said, "Well, we don't necessarily need sports. We don't need extracurricular activities. are not we want them but legally not required. Um I said it and suddenly I became the poster child of let's get rid of all sports. Let's kill the football team. Certainly not what I intended but that's how it kind of came across. All I was trying to look at were ways that we could be creative and you know deal with c budget crisis and we're going to be dealing

007with it again next year and probably the year after if not continuing. So, um, you know, tonight I know on the agenda is, excuse me, not yes, on the agenda, policy 56756, transgender students. And, um, as everyone knows, we're a member of the NJSIA with the athletic league in New Jersey. And one of their policies as written the NJSIA transgender policy which was adopted in 2009. The policy allows a student to participate in sports consistent with their birth sex or gender identity but not both. It also goes on to say that a school can certainly challenge a transgender students participation if that participation would adversely affect safety or competition. Now I know there's discussion with respect to whether we should allow those children to participate or not. And oddly enough, if we say no, we

008can't participate in the NJSIA, which currently right now represents about 400 of the school districts in New Jersey, which means we'd most likely be out of any league, which means in effect we wouldn't have sports. So I just want people to understand that uh I don't want to use the term unintended consequences but if you certainly take any action and we take it to the extreme which by law and by inference and deduction you have to that could lead to a uh situation that maybe not everyone wants. So just be careful about what you wish for. Uh that's all I really have with respect to uh my comments tonight. Mr. Styles. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh for probably one of my last times, I get to report the school bus emergency evacuation drill that we

009held on Friday, May 30th, 2025 at 7 o'clock in the morning. We did all 40 buses. Uh it went very well. Happy to say that it probably was my last one, but it was it was a good good experience. Excellent. Thank you. Okay. Uh let's move right into the board discussion. Policy 5756, transgender students. Um would anyone like to start? Go ahead. Sorry. for those who you know are interested in abolishing the policy. What are the reasons? One of the issues with this particular policy is how poorly it was written. Contradictory in many aspects to some of the things that are already um given and contradictory to itself as we heard over the last couple months. And then the other part which is concerning is uh what Michael brought up. Um the NJ is it

010SIAA already has a policy. Um for us we can either remain silent on that policy or we can affirm it. But we can't according to what I understand we can't necessarily come against it without getting sued. So, we could easily just stay silent on the matter. Um, and I think it's a fairly important part of uh this particular policy uh in in the fact that it has a fairly significant effect of the women's sports specifically women's sports of which um my family members play along. Um, personally, I would be very not happy about um a fully grown man playing in a women's basketball team. That would be, in my opinion, inappropriate um regardless of uh their transgender status. Has no effect on the respect given to that particular person. It just merely says that that

011is inappropriate. That particular action in that particular time frame is inappropriate. But this policy doesn't allow us to carve out that exception. We either have to affirm it or stay silent on it. And in my opinion, I would rather just stay silent on it as to not bring it up. And that is really the the overarching decision making where I'm coming from in this particular policy. I'd rather stay silent on that's your only issue. That's my issue. We can't we either have to stay silent on it or we have to affirm it. I do not want to affirm it. Right. But the policy includes more than just that. But that we both specifically can't do both. We can't not stay silent and not affirm it. We have to do both or nothing or silent. We

012can't do we can't amend that part of this policy. We either have to accept it and affirm it or delete the whole policy. It's a black and white binary decision. And that decision is not appropriate. I don't I don't Mr. president. Um, first of all, I think it's we're conflating two different issues, right? 5756 as a policy is very clear and direct on what it's uh related to as it relates to um uh the anti-discrimination laws of the state. Um, and that is the pol. basically reaffirming what is an existing state law and state statute. What you're talking about related to gender identity as it relates to participation in athletics is really not covered under 5756. It it it makes reference it references intercolastic sports but the policy itself does not govern intercolastic sports. What

013governs intercolastic sports is the New Jersey uh state intercolastic athletic association. So NJSIAA is the governing body and the department of education doesn't have authority over athletics or any of the um uh programs that NJSIA oversees. NJSIAA is the governing body. They are the authority as it relates to that aspect. 5756 does not really relate to that policy other than a reference to intercolastic sports but the intercolastic sports policy is governed by NJSIAA. So the two are in in my view they're very different topics. Um as a matter of fact it's also governed by federal and state law. Uh and as we are a member of NJSIAA we've already agreed to abide by their policies. So, we've already affirmed it by being a member of NJSIAA. We have affirmed and are in support of that

014policy. The only way to not be supportive of that policy is to withdraw from NJSIA, which you know, it's certainly an option for this board. I personally would not be in favor of that. Um, but we have to be careful because any action around this issue can lead to litigation. And given our shared concerns over the budget over the next few years, probably wouldn't be good stewards of the taxpayers's funds if we are intentionally waiting into a legal battle. I mean, to me, it just doesn't make any sense. Um, and so I think, you know, I think that we have to be very careful when we're talking about this. um and make sure that we walk carefully so that we are making sure that we're doing the right thing by our students and making sure

015that we're protecting their interest while at the same time making sure we're doing the right thing as a board, protecting both the taxpayers and the institution itself. Um, so I think it's really important that we bifurcate the two. NJSIA policy governing athletics governing the handling of uh issues regarding discrimination for a particular protected population. Um, I just have to disagree with what you just said and specifically the conferration of the two aspects because it is a fact that either we affirm the NJ SIAA uh stance within the language of this policy or we choose to stay silent. There's no middle ground. There's no middle ground between saying uh we affirm a large portion of this policy but disagree with the bathroom or locker room policy. There's no room for that. There's only room for we

016agree that that's all good and well or we're silent on it. There's no room for in between. There's no room for in between of any of the um things that we would perhaps like to modify in this policy in order to make it a little bit more less contradictory to itself. We only have the choice of either accepting and affirming all of it or staying silent on it. There's no in between. There's no confilgration of the what the sports wants to do and what doesn't. We only have the choice of either staying silent or affirming. That's it. We don't have any other choice. Just let me sorry point of clarification. I just want clarification. Um so you're saying that uh we can't amend the policy. Is it your understanding that we can't amend the policy

017at all or are you are you referring to that specific section? No, that is what how am I supposed to word this? That is what uh I understand the discussion around what this board could do is. It's either we affirm it or stay silent on it. There's no other absolutely not. I I completely respectfully I disagree with that. It's my understanding that we have the option to affirm the policy, change the policy, or resend the policy, abolish the policy. So th those are the three options. You either leave it the way it is, change it, or get rid of it. No, no, we're not allowed to change it. We are allowed to change it. Absolutely. Let me I'm going to ask that question one sec. the uh with respect to affirming certain comments that you

018said the mere fact one would argue that we stay a member of the NJSIA means that we are affirming the rules and the policies and certainly abiding by their decisions and we have the right to remove oursel from that. the fact that we continue to stay in, we are affirming certainly whatever policies they have by incorporation. That's number one. That's not correct. Why do you think that's not correct? That's not correct. Because the affirmation of this particular policy is not uh on 50 what is it 57? 56. Yeah. Yeah. Is not the policy of the NJSIA. The two are not the same. One is an affirmation for rights to actually activity to do activities. The NJSA says you can do this, but if you think it's going to be harmful or anything like this, then

019you can talk about it. Actually, our policy doesn't allow that. Our policy says it must happen. It must happen. There is no discussion. The NJSAI actually says there's a discussion to be had. All I'm saying is that they're separate issues. You have the NJS, we are a member of the NJSIA. One would argue that when you accept membership into that, you live by the rules. And if you decide that you're going to say, "Tough luck. We're going to do whatever we want. We need to be in a league because we need to be able to compete against other teams, but we're going to do whatever we want." One would argue that the NJSI is going to say, "Well, you're not abiding by our rules. You're out. They're going to kick us out. Forget 5756. It's

020a separate issue." That's just how I look at just this being part of NJSIA. But we're not talking about being a member of this for this particular discussion. We are literally talking about the policy which doesn't give an appeal, that doesn't give us choices, that doesn't give a discussion. It mandates it without exception the participation of men and women's sports. So go ahead. I'm sorry. So sorry. I'm just looking at the policy and I I believe what Dan is referring to is that with respect to gender segregated classes activity at going on all students must be allowed to participate in a manner consistent with their gender identity. the schools shall and it then goes through with what the rules the law is provide the same opportunities and things like that the the rules for NJ

021SIA are there's an appeal process right so when you're talking about you cannot modify the policy and Bob is I think that you can modify the policy as long as it's still consistent with the legal requirements and that we're not taking something away from the require not legal requirements. As long as we're still consistent with what is legally required and if you were to have in there what is the the actual legal parts that has the references to the school's law the laws governing our school body which is for that state athletic. That's where I think you're seeing that that conflict of of that this is saying there's no way for that appeal process to happen when our overarching sports uh governing body says there is. Um but I also want to point out in

022looking up information that we're talking about a percentage of the population that the CDC has estimated in 2019 is 1.8% 8% of all high school students nationwide, it's approximately 275,000 nationwide, identify as transgender. Fewer than 15% of those students play sports. So, we're talking a very very small number of students and a very small likelihood of a male that is going in becoming transgender and is becoming a woman playing on a woman's basketball team. So, as part of it just just to point out that aspect of it. But if there I think that you need to we need to go back and talk to the lawyer to say all right if we're seeing inconsistencies between NJISS SAA and the law how do we handle that? So Mr. President. Yes. Then I want to try to

023get some other people. Absolutely. I just I think it would be helpful if we would um detach these two topics because I think that they're you know I think it's creating confusion. I think it's creating confusion on this board. I think it's creating confusion in this discussion. It's certainly created confusion in our community. This board has no authority to make any decision over the issue of whether or not students should be transgender students should be participating in sports. We're not. You know, it doesn't matter what I believe, doesn't matter what Dan believes, doesn't matter what any of us here on the board believes. It is governed by federal law. It is governed by state law. It is governed by Title 9. Those are the things that we have to follow. And as board members, we

024swear an oath to uphold the laws and enforce the Constitution of the United States and the state of New Jersey. That means that we have to enforce the law. Our job is to implement the laws as they come to us. We can certainly disagree with what they do. And everyone here knows that I have been vehemently in disagreement with policies that we've had to put in place, but I can disagree with it. But we still have to implement it. And there are pathways that we can that individuals can take if they want to change it. But the the board of education is not one of those pathways. We don't have the authority to change that. So that part of the discussion is not within our purview. What is within our purview is 5756 and how

025we want to proceed with that. But that's a separate discussion from whether or not we allow transgender students to be involved in sports. So, I just I think that it's I think that we need to separate those two as part of the conversation because of the fact that, you know, they're they're governed by different things. Maybe Heather needs to read that statement back to you because that's exactly what it says. Where we shall and we must. The the current policy does have shall and must within there. And I think what Dan is trying to say is that even though looking at the sports uh overarching sports guidelines and regulations, there is an appeal process. He's perceiving there is a conflict between the policy and this the appeal process that the policy doesn't allow for an

026appeal process. Anyone else? Sorry. Within in the realm of sports. So that's where I'm interpreting what you're that's what NJSIA policy says an NJ SIA policy is the governing policy over this. Therefore, there is an appeals process. And by and just for the record, this has not been an issue in our school. And in the since the transgender policy that was put in place by NJSIAA, the most recent one in 2017, they've only had one issue that has come forward and that was not even competitive. it was related to uh high levels of testosterone in a particular student. So one in the seven years that this has occurred. So I do want to point out also just so you know when you look at the actual um statute for that's section 18A36-41 within their statute

027which is where ours is coming from is permitting transgender students to participate in gender segregated school activities in accordance with the students gender identity. So that's actually part of the law that we're looking at that the policy is based off. So there is a a disagreement or a conflict with between the law that we're having to follow and our what the sports guidelines are. But we still have to follow the law and that's what's in the law, not the sports part. So So our policy is consistent with what the statute is for the guidance. But the statute for the guidance is inconsistent. doesn't necessarily follow NJSSA's regulations. Any anyone else would like to make comments? Janine, Katherine, Lisa, Carol, Bill. Carol, I wanted to just answer your question. Um, two concerns and one we've talked

028all around it is the inconsistencies and that always bothers me a little bit, a lot actually. And the other one is uh parental knowledge. And I that that is just always an area that worries me that there could be situations where we're not choosing not to talk to parents about the situation. Can you just uh tell me what you mean by a parental notification? Um I have so many papers here like wrestling to find it. It's my understanding that it is not mandatory to am I still on here that it's not mandatory to notify parents if they come to counselors and and so are dealing with these issues. So just to be clear that a student that comes to a counselor they should notify the the counselors are you want them to be obligated to

029tell the parents. I just want to be clear what the viewpoint is. How do we um and Carol just it's an area that concerns me. Carol, just it's the top of page three is what you're looking for. The very top paragraph. Yeah. Last sentence is what you're looking for. Page two of three. Page three of nine on the policy. Oh, on the policy one. I wonder I'm looking for the wrong thing. Page 209. Page three of nine. Right there it is. There is no affirmative duty for any student um any school district staff member to notify students parents of students gender identity and expression. Right. But that also says they're not prohibited. So what's the issue you have with regard to parental notification with respect to a student? I just want I just want to

030understand is it your view that what a student says to a counselor should then be relayed to a parent? I'm just trying to understand. I'm trying to understand too, Michael. I've I um it's problematic. The whole thing is problematic to me. What's problematic? Parental notification, a student's rights to privacy, the parents rights with regard to their child. What would you then do, I guess, is the question. You're saying it's a problem. How do you resolve the problem? Can the problem be resolved? Actually, I believe it can be. Okay. I think you know, but it just depends on what the position of the board is going to be. If the position of the board is going to be to abolish the policy, then I don't think it's necessary that we go through a process of trying

031to to fix it. If if we're interested in fixing it, then we can spend some time talking about, okay, how might we be able to make the policy uh more reflective to address some of the legitimate concerns that that folks have articulated, including the vague language around parent notification. I don't think that we want language that says that faculty must tell parents. Um, but I also don't think we want language in there that that is ambiguous to so that it could be interpreted as schools can't tell parents, right? And I think that's where some of the misunderstanding and the the disconnect exists. So I think that you know there is a way to probably you know work on words smmithing that language that if we worked with the attorney to to make it clearer that

032while you know while there's no affirmative no while there's no affirmative responsibility to tell parents there's no prohibition either. you know, and at the so it's it's not you you don't have to tell parents, but you're not prohibited from telling parents. And that's really at the discretion then of the superintendent and the administration and our faculty members to make that call based on a case-byase basis as things present itself. But I think I mean as I understand it that seems to be where one of the big rubs is is the um the interpretation by some that the policy as written does not allow for information to be shared with parents. Uh I don't believe after studying this for so long and talking with with with folks about it um that's not the intent. But again

033to Carol's point, this is very poorly worded in places and this is one of those places where I think it needs to be cleaned up. I think the other place that it needs to be cleaned up uh again if we were to look at this going forward u in order to to you try to make it a better policy or at least more reflective of our thinking. Um I think the other thing that we've discussed is the issue of uh there being two sets of records. Um, I think that's that's another area of issue where where where there are two sets of records and the parents may not be able to access one set of the records. Um, you know, that's like me being a businessman and I'm keeping two sets of books, right? I

034don't think folks would look at me as a business person very well if I had two sets of books. Certainly not the IRS. Exactly. So, I mean, I I I think that there's um I think there are way there are ways that we can tweak it and and and work to make it better to address some of the things that members of the board have concerns over. But that's only if the board as a whole is interested in going down that pathway. And if we're not interested in going down that pathway, you know, again, that's the up to the board itself. Um, I just don't want to waste time noodling over it if the ultimate decision is we're going to get rid of it anyway. Carol, would that give you comfort? Often um articulates my

035opinion better than I do. So, thank you. Yeah, Bill. Yeah, I'd like to reiterate um what Bob had said in the how poorly written this is in this one section on page six of nine, uh, second paragraph from the bottom. I'm just going to read that real quick. If a student has expressed a preference to be called by a name other than their birth name, permanent student records containing a student's birth name should be kept in a separate confidential file. Um, this file should only be shared with appropriate school staff members after consultation with a student. So right there is where car where Carol is saying the parents are not even informed of that. It doesn't say that they're not obligated. It says they are only to be shared um at the preference of the

036student. So just to clarify that because again it's it's poorly written because what this is referring to and this is from you know speaking uh with you know with with various colleagues with legal counsel about all of these things and and interpreting this. The reason, at least my interpretation of it and our interpretation of the school, they're talking about a if a student transitions and, you know, we're not sharing with the staff all of their information, their their name prior to their transition because the staff does not need to be privy to that. I think they leave the parent part out because the parents know the students name prior to their transition. So, they don't need access to this file. What this is saying is we're not to hand out to the staff. By the

037way, this student used to be referred to as this and now they're referred to as that. However, it doesn't it if somebody's reading it who doesn't work in a school, they're not understanding that part. But I think that's why it doesn't specifically speak to the parent because all it's saying is the file containing the student's birth name if that's not what they go by. But I'm and maybe this is I'm I think it's safe to assume the parent is going to know that information. And so they're just saying that we're not to share that with school staff because the student may not, you know, we have students who come to the high school after they have, you know, they have gone through that transition. So there's no need for high school staff here to know,

038you know, what what occurred before they they came. Um, so I think that's what that's referencing. However, again, it's not communicated well because people reading it are misinterpreting it to thinking we're keeping information from parents. So, but just to make I I just want to make sure everyone's more comfortable knowing we don't have these secret files that we're not sharing with parents. And the other piece too, again, just because we're talking about concerns with um withholding information from parents, the information in here about counseling and keeping information confidential, that doesn't only apply to a transgender student status or, you know, they're they're talking to their counselor about any of these issues. It's a multitude of issues that they may talk to their counselors about. However, if something is going to impact their health or safety,

039then that is an immediate notification obviously to the parents. Our goal, and you know, we've spoken about this before. If a student's going through something that they're they're not comfortable talking to their parent about, and they, you know, hopefully they're they we have so many resources here that they're seeking somebody out here. Our goal, unless we know that there's, you know, abuse and we don't and there's there's a legitimate threat to sharing that with the parent, our goal is to work with the student to help them find the resources they need to be able to talk to their parents about it. That is our overarching goal. That is our philosophy of our counseling department. It has always been. Um, you know, I can't speak for other schools and how they handle that, but I hope

040that from all of the presentations we've done here and what we've shared that there is some trust from the board on our counseling department and our staff that we're not looking to have secret conversations with students and keep information from parents. We're looking to guide them and and provide them resources. We also don't counsel students on medical decisions. Um, you know, that's something where if a student comes to us and is seeking help that we can't provide, again, we help them find the appropriate resources. Our goal of our counselors and our teaching staff is to make sure they feel safe in school. And if they need help outside of school, that we help them do that as well, but we are not guiding them on decisions they're making outside of here. So, I and I

041understand, you know, the the way that the policy can be misinterpreted. I just want to make sure because this is obviously being live streamed. there's a lot of public here tonight that everyone understands what our approach is as a school district and our philosophy. Um so that the concerns coming up thankfully have not actually as you know Mr. Morrison pointed out and some other board members have not actually been issues here. They're just things that I know the board is concerned about with regard to um in the policy. So I you know I just want to make sure that that everyone is cl that that's clarified for everyone. Liz, I appreciate that. Jean, I'll give you one give me one second. Liz, I appreciate everything you just say because, you know, one of the concerns

042that I have in which I keep hearing is this communication in this obligation for parents to know everything. It sounds great that a parent has the out the outright right to know everything that's going on with respect to their student. However, our goal, as Lis has said, is to be supportive. We invest a lot of money. We keep going over it with regard to in the budget. We spend a significant amount of dollars on mental health. Let's just for lack of a better term for our students who need help, need some guidance, need some advice, whatever it would be. If there came a time where we wrote a policy or we instructed the administration to say everything that the child the student says to the counselor automatically gets ret-ransmitted to the parent. Well, now this

043is what happens. A we're now going to be required to videotape every conversation. Number one. Number two, that videotape goes to the parent. Number three, and most important, the student knows that that happens. Number four, the student now is less inclined to go to what they may perceive as a confidential ally, guidance, counselor, support individual because now we've now told that student, hey student, anything you say, just like they say in court with the R, you know, with the Miranda rights, anything you say or do will be held against you in the court of law. Now, anything you say is going right to your parents. It's an immediate, you know, don't, you know, don't stop at go or whatever that expression. It's going right to your parents. They're going to know that's going to be

044a disincentive to the child and that's going to defeat everything that Dr. Jw just said that we're trying to accomplish and try to improve and help the child. I, you know, I and I I get the concept that we as parents have certain rights to know, but every time we go with an absolute, and again, like Dan said, there's binary. I'm Mr. binary and I look at these, you know, just everything in a binary. We go down a rabbit hole. Again, just be careful what you wish for because that rabbit hole is a dark hole. Janine. Yes. Thank you. Um, I'm glad you mentioned safety, Liz, because let's remember why this policy was created. It was created for students that need a safe place. Okay? All of these things were put in place because these

045are very at risk students and we want them to be safe, right? School safety, that's our number one motto here before education even. And I get, you know, certain wordage and everything, but to to throw away a policy that is designed to support and and make our students feel safe and accepted and welcomed is not something we want to abolish because of a few words here and there or for something that is very, you know, unlikely to possibly even happen. Um, these students have the right to be able to confidentially talk to someone just like anybody else should. Um, that's all I have to say. I just want to add on what you were saying. Um, in looking into more of this, I came across some interesting statistics. And one is research that shows when

046a transgender children and adolescence are supported by family and community, they do well with the levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal matching their non-gender peers where otherwise they are much higher. Um, and we have to remember that these policies are providing a roadmap for our school administrators, our teachers, our community, our parents as to how to interpret the law. What is the best practice? How do they support them? We don't have a policy. We're now leaving our staff to try to figure that out on their own without the guidance and having to then look at, well, what are the policies? What's the legislation? And so we have, you know, an obligation to our staff and to our students to support them in that in, like you said, the most critical students. [Applause] Anyone else? So

047where do we go from here? Right. Okay. Sorry, I'll go to the the one more comment that I want to make is the school As far as being a safe space, it's temporary. The school is temporary. And what Liz said is the primary objective should be to bridge that gap between the parents because they are going to be the kids safe space. They're going to graduate here maybe next year and they're not going to have the teachers and the counselors and the friends, the support systems. They're going to be going somewhere else. Their friends might be a different state. Their parents are going to be with them the rest of their life. I think that has to be the focus of this bill. Bridge that. Now, I know there's there's issues where some parents are

048maybe neglectful um or worse, but there's other policies that deal with that. I just want to keep that in mind. is and just to amp amplify what you said and I think it plays off of what Heather had mentioned as well. You know, the fact that we know that that students that are experiencing gender dysphoria have a higher rate of success when the parents are engaged in the process. I think the the the problem that I've had this whole time with this policy has been the outlook of the way that it was written. you know, not the intent, but the way that it was written almost took the position that parents bad, right? And and so that that's the supposition that par all parents are bad and therefore we need to protect the students from

049the parents when the reality is most parents are good. Most parents are going to do the right thing. Most parents are going to want their students to be successful and and want will want to engage with them. But there are going to be instances where you have parents that are bad. And that's where by having by by empowering our administration with guidance that allows them to work with guidance counselor and the students to understand what the situation is and can is it a situation that could be bridged or or might it be a situation where hey this student's actually in you know in in in need of of additional support you know and I would even go so far as you know if a if a student can't go home to their their their parents

050because of concern concern of abuse, then we have an agency to deal with that as well. So I I think the idea of ensuring that we provide the administration with the flexibility while also recognizing that the vast majority of our parents are going to want to do the right thing by their students, but we also know that there are instances where where uh where students are abused in these particular situations and we absolutely want to ensure that those students are protected. Is a built. Okay. So the question is where do we go from here? So I just want to make one comment which came up right now on the policy in the uh on the website whatever it says it's has a little designation of an M which says it's mandate. It is not and

051we've discussed that we know it's not a mandated policy. So I'm suggesting that at this point that's the first thing is remove that M so it's clear to the public that it's not a mandated policy. We can discuss that. Number two with respect to the policy itself uh we talked about what some of the options were. One resin two keep three modify. uh if it's the consensus to modify, I don't have a problem with me personally rewriting the policy, taking in the comments that have been suggested with regard to the affirmative uh uh the clarification that Carol and Bobby you were talking about affir affirm the district does not have an affirmative responsibility, but it is not prohibited. this way it's clear that uh that issue um where there's some language I think Heather and

052Dan you guys were talking a little bit about shall and must where we could remove that language so it's a little more consistent and it more incorporates some of the uh the sports and allowing into uh so that uh the conflict that is perceived we can eliminate that conflict. So, if people are good with that, I'm willing to do that. Dan, I I think we're not allowed to do that. I don't think we can modify it as you just described. So, an example, so some examples of what districts have done that um so any district that has changed the no affirmative responsibility to an affirmative responsibility, they have been litigated against. Some districts have chosen just to remove that line so that it doesn't cause confusion, doesn't say one thing or or another. So, there

053are modifications you can make. You just can't do some of the things that some districts have done which essentially goes against the law by what they're saying in their policy. Um, but you can, you know, uh, provide clarification, so to speak. Again, I'll double check with council, but my understanding is that a we can resend the policy and vote on a new policy that replaces it. That happens. I'd be in favor of that. I think I said that last time this came up. We should create a committee that cleans up this that changes these things and is silent where it needs to be silent so it doesn't it's not in contradictory to other agencies and other laws. Right. I'd be I'd be in favor of that. Good. Just a point of clarification. What's the difference

054between that and modifying the current policy? We're told Well, I'll double check whether we can do it or we'll see if it's a legal legal issue. It may be a legal issue. Okay. Well, our lawyer can speak to that. Yeah. But either way, there would be a policy. I know what you're talking about. Either way that there would be a rewritten policy, the new 5756, whether it's a modification of the old 5756 or if it's by definition defined as the new 5756. But either way, we would have to write a 50 a new 5756. I don't understand why the whole thing needs to be rewritten. Like if like you just said, we were going to make changes. That's that's a modification, not a rewrite. When you say it like that, it sounds like the whole

055policy is going to be rewritten. No, that's not Well, I hear what you're saying, but that's not I hear what you're saying. I don't believe that's necessarily true. Okay. Because by definition, if you take a 500page book and you modify one word, you've modified it and you've changed it. You not necessarily changed the whole thing. I hear I haven't rewritten a new book though. Well, but you by definition you have. But I hear what you're saying. I understand. Just like again, the policy doesn't say it's prohibited. Just say firm. It's just it's how you interpret that. I hear exactly what you're saying. So, so then again just a point of clarification. Then what the current 5756 would stand as is until such time that we come forward with a revised updated whatever we want to

056call it policy and then at that point in time the revised 5756 would then supersede the current 5756. That would be my pathway. Huh? Two reads with two reads. Right. Of course. Yeah. Okay. So, is that is that the direction that we're going or what what do you need in order to feel comfortable that you have clarity from this board as far as what the next steps are? Unless there's opposition to that, that's what I'm going to do. I would oppose that. I would oppose it, too. What are you opposing? Just so I know, there there there's a um a policy that we have on the books that is contradictory to itself. It's poorly written. It includes things that are inappropriate. We should just nyx that create a committee to write an appropriate one and

057pass that. It's really quite simple. Will it incorporate the vast majority of 5756? Very well might. But we should just clean it up. Everything in this policy is already covered in law. We've heard that like 16 times so far. It's not like someone's not going to be protected. It's just a special protection or acknowledgment of protection. No one's going to be not safe. This is just let's get rid of bad policy. Write good policy. Doesn't happen after one or the other. You don't keep good bad policy just because it's better than no policy. That's not true. It's well respectfully I don't think it's bad policy. I think it's there's some poorly worded language in the policy. Again, that's respectfully disagree. Okay. And that's but I think that we should then pull the rest of the

058board as far as how you want to proceed. Carol, how would you like to proceed? I'm I'm trying to keep track of our choices. I guess my first choice would be to abolish and rewrite. And I've always been very vocal about this. I think we should have a policy committee. I It's not just this policy, other policies. I've often thought it should be very specific. We will have a policy committee. That's definite. And it's most likely going to be a policy committee by the whole. Well, whatever. So my my first um reaction is abolish this policy and establish a policies committee to uh not rewrite to write a policy to deal with this issue. Writing or rewriting is the same thing. Go ahead. It's one in the same no matter how you slice it or

059dice it. I agree. But I appreciate that. I think it's really poorly written and it needs to be revamped. So abolish and rewrite or abolish and come up with a new policy. [Music] Well, I understand there are issues with some of the language and and the confusion. I think eliminating it gives the message to students and to staff that we are not supporting them, that we're not recognizing them, that we don't care. So, I would vote to keep the policy as it is. And then as we go through work on cleaning up the language and revising the policy just as we do any other policy revision. [Applause] Lisa, sorry, Lisa. I need uh I need a bit more time because I'm a board member who has a current and uprising, you know, um senior. She

060participates in swimming and I know this doesn't happen often. Um, and I'm also, you know, page seven activities. It's not just about sports and locker rooms. We're talking restrooms as well. And um, so I have already, and forgive me if you don't know this number off hand. Do we How many um, and I don't know if the word is gender neutral. How many genderneutral or all gender restrooms are at Hills for students and staff? One. I didn't know that for staff it's well I guess that for staff it's the same because staff there are mostly you know a lot of individual restrooms but for the students it we have one in the main hallways but our nurses restrooms have always been gender neutral Katherine I I didn't know right out here actually abolish and rewrite

061or whatever come up with a whole new policy regarding I think we need to leave this policy in place if we're going to change it. I don't see why we need to abolish it and be without a policy. Doesn't make sense when we're planning on making revisions to it. So, we need to keep this policy. And I echo what Heather said about, you know, knowing abolishing it sends the signal that we do not support our transgender students. And that's a bad look for this board. [Applause] This particular policy was adopted by this board in 2018. Um I see no reason why it can't continue until we come up with a revision for it. So, I'm in favor of u you know what what's on the table as far as leaving the policy in place uh

062working uh with board members concerns and with counsel to make sure we have an appropriate policy that addresses those concerns while also protecting the students that we're trying that that that we are responsible for overseeing. So, I support uh keeping the policy and then working on the revision. [Applause] Well, again, as I've said before, I am one of nine and I'll be one of 10 come later on this evening. The will of the board will dictate. If they're a majority says that we're going to abolish and wait, then at some point they can make a motion and do that. I've never said they can't do it and the law allows them to do it. Um I certainly am not going to support that. I uh think we have should have some sort of policy. Again,

063as the public knows, we've said this thousand times. I think it was alluded to have mo say have there's no shortage of policies that exist because uh that restate the law and we have them because it's important for the public to make it easier for them so to speak to have access to one location where they can look up the policies even though one could argue okay policy 2121 wherever that is referred to NJSA New Jersey statute and that applies well that's makes it very difficult for the public. It's nice that the public can look at a policy guide, you know, we've adopted really in those cases state law or federal law and we adhere to it because we have to otherwise half of the policy, a chunk of the policies would be gone. So,

064you know, that's why we have policies, some of the policies to start with. Um, so what I plan to do while we wait for a decision from this board is I will take some thoughts and concerns from various more board members if they want to share them with me. I've heard some of them but if they have some others and I will start recrafting. Now again that doesn't mean that no one else can also craft. We all know that in our state assemblies, legislative government, and we see with the Senate and the House, you know, the House writes one set of law, you know, a draft of a bill, they send it over to the Senate, they look at it, there's a reconciliation, they try to go back and forth, but there it's there's no

065shortage of times where multiple people are working on the similar bill or the similar activity. I'm not looking to stifle that in any way. So if some people want to do that, that's fine. That's what I plan to do. I am going to draft a policy, a revised policy that tries to incorporates the thoughts of this board as well as the thoughts of, you know, a the requirements within the law. And I will circulate that. Others have the same right to do that. We're not here to stifle that. Again, I'm 109 and as I said before, I'll be 10 shortly. majority rules or in some cases when we need a supermajority dependent on the law. Again, we uphold the law. Um so at this point, I don't think there's anything further to be said and

066we'll move on to the next item. Great. Okay. First first opportunity for public comment. Note the first public comment period will be limited to agenda items for this meeting only. The second public comment period will be open to any topic. All comments are limited to five minutes. Again, please sign in. I know most of you have signed in with your name and uh where you're from. Tim right now is collecting that list. Even though you're not on the list, you will still be afforded an opportunity. But I'm sorry. Excuse me. Uh Tim will I guess he has the list. He will announce the order. We have two four. I don't know about or I'll announce announce it. Whatever. You just happen to have it. We have about 10 people. So, we'll just go in that

067order. And again, if there's anyone else, they're more than welcome to uh speak. We're not looking again to stifle comments. All right. So, the first person, and I apologize if I uh Denise Chilson, am I saying that right? Wong rescue squad. Okay. Thank you. I apologize. All right. Deborah Eddie. Yeah. So again, please uh state your name and where you're from. Good evening. I'm Deborah Eddie. I'm from Hillsboro, New Jersey, but I'm also here representing the Somerset County LGBTQ Advisory Board. I'm here to speak about uh policy 5756. Um there's a lot of discussion that I heard tonight regarding the policy and unfortunately a lot of it was not positive and some of it was positive which I appreciate the students um youth in general who are presently going through transgender trans transition and so

068forth. Um there are some our most vulnerable community in the LGBTQ community. They tend to be bullied. They tend to be um constantly put out there because they are the most visual in terms of their needs, their um visibility of course and in the school system which their most um how should I say the most comfortable environment that they come to. Um, growing up I experienced a lot of hidden comments. Unfortunately, I was not able to be out as a teenager in high school and I wish that I was able to. I wasn't able to talk about a lot of it with my friends because I didn't want to get ostracized. And I'm not transgender, but I do have my lovely wife here with me. I'm very proud about that, being able to do that

069here in New Jersey, across the country. But there's a lot of homophobia, a lot of problems that many of us encounter in this community. And it's unfortunate that so many students, I'm so proud that they're able to step out and be them true, be their true selves. And unfortunately with having this policy out there, it's a great thing, but it seems as though we're trying to push that back into the corner, push them back outside, make them unsafe once again. School was the safest place for me to go. I didn't have to worry about certain things because if I didn't talk about it, it was okay. But if I talked about it, I was soon to be the one who was kicked to the outside. If you take that away from the students, which is

070unfortunate, it puts them again on the target, put a target on their back. There's a lot of my friends who went through, I hate to say it, but there's a lot of them who couldn't tell their parents. If their parents were told who they really were, they were sent to camps where they were told that it's not good for you to be who you are. we're going to give you this trans I I can't remember what the wording was, but they were brainwashed into put into a cult-like situation where they couldn't be themselves. They had to go through Christian training or some other type of training, psychological training, shock therapy, and so on. And I knew these people as a young adult. I knew them and they experienced these things. And it's unfortunate, very unfortunate,

071just because you love who you love. I would hate to see your students here at Wong Hills Regional High School who come from so many different towns to have to go through that same situation. They shouldn't have to come to school and not feel safe. They shouldn't have to be going home and not feel safe because some parents are not complying to that. They're not accepting. They're not willing to say, "Oh, my child is okay. It doesn't matter who they love. It doesn't matter that they want to change their gender. It doesn't matter they want to transition or they just don't want to conform. It's not okay. Some of them are okay. It's okay with them. And some it's not." So, I would hope that you keep 5756 the way it is. If you want

072to make some modifications, great. They want to play sports. Sometimes I have a little bit of a trouble with that only because I know some males have a lot more strength than females. I understand that. And females don't have quite as much strength as some of the males. I understand that as well. So if you want to make that modification, I understand that. And I did see on the website that some schools did make some adjustments to the policy. But to completely abolish the policy doesn't make sense to me. There is a way to keep things in place and to make some adjustments, but to throw it out completely doesn't make sense. As a board, you have a responsibility to protect your students, to have a responsibility to the community, and to make sure that

073your parents also understand, but protect your students. Protect them as best as possible. Don't let them go through situations where yes, four years is all they may have with you, but those four years should be the most fun and appreciative four years that they can have. Don't let them become adults that graduate and get out into the world and find out that, wow, things could have been a lot better for me in high school. Thank Thank you. Okay. Thank you very much, Marissa Walsh. again. Please state your name and where you're from. All right. Good evening everyone. My name is Marissa Walsh. I'm from Atlantic Highlands. Um here representing the Wong Hills Regional Education Association. I'm probably going to be saying a lot of um what has been echoed in some of the emails you've

074re received in support of keeping this policy as well as some of the statistics you've all shared here. Just want to thank you for uh providing this opportunity to weigh in in front of the public and um give us a chance to also express our comments on this policy. Our role here as faculty and staff extends beyond education. We're tasked with fostering a supportive, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all students. This commitment is why there are so many staff here today and why so many staff members have written to you um here also to express a strong support for policy 5756 and I'm urging you to keep this policy in place upon my own review of this policy. Its purpose is clear. It provides explicit guidance on applying state and federal laws to ensure our

075transgender students are safe and that they have access to an inclusive educational environment. The need for this guidance is undeniable. New Jersey is home to around 55,000 LGBTQI plus youth aged 13 to 17, including 3,850 give or take transgender youth. And far too many of these, nearly half, experience verbal harassment due to their sexual orientation. 15% face physical harassment due to their gender identity. And disturbingly, 58% never report this harassment to school authorities. Furthermore, 42% experience discrimination in schools with a disproportionate impact on transgender and non-binary students. So that's why removing this policy, even with other state and federal protections in place, it would create a perception, a perception that our district endorses discrimination. And that's not what our district is like. I'm asking you to uphold our commitment to every student's well-being by maintaining

076this vital policy. Thank you. Thank you. I apologize. I'll be back in five minutes. Next up, uh, Patricia Rex Rexford. Michael, when will you be back? Okay. Um, Angie Redude, Patty Burn. See if anyone else wants to speak over. Just a reminder, state your name and your town. Evening Patty O'Burn, Warren Township. I stand here to express my support for students who are struggling with their identity. children who display tremendous courage in living as their authentic selves and the watching Hilts Regional High School community. Students who may be struggling with the fear of causing disappointment, confusion, and heartache to those who love them most, their parents. I implore you to protect the privacy of those students with any revisions you choose to make to policy 5756. Abolishing policy 5756 would have, in my understanding, likely

077changed very little in terms of the practices and procedures of administration and staff. What it would have done, however, is confirmed to trans students that in no uncertain terms, they are not accepted by many of the adults in their lives who are charged with protecting them and securing their safety. I ask each of you on this body to reflect on a time when you felt misunderstood or rejected simply because of who you are or what you believe. I'm sure all of you have at one time experienced such rejection. And I ask each of you to rise to this opportunity that you are given and to extend to these students the understanding, compassion, and grace that we all deserve. Thank you. Thank you, [Applause] Nicole Gamier. Hi, Nicole Gomero from Warren. Good evening. In April, I

078stood in front of you all and asked the members of this board to renew their individual commitments to ensuring all students at Watch Hills are valued and protected. However, just this week, efforts continued when your fellow board member posted on social media that this evening the board would be, and I quote, discussing biological men in women's sports. Period. No reference to the policy in question, no context at all. What a strange way to begin a discussion about students, about children. Children the members of this board have sworn an oath to protect. Some of those children, queer and trans kids, are hurting. They're literally hurting as they self harm and attempt suicide at heartbreaking rates. Having policies like 5756 in place is a matter of life and death. But you know that you've heard it before

079at these very meetings. And I'm not sure how many different ways we can stand here and ask you to care about all the students in this school, all the kids in this school. So, what will speak to this board? If not the safety and well-being of our youth, maybe it's money. Maybe it's reputation. If you won't take a stand to protect vulnerable kids, maybe you'll do it to protect the district and voting taxpayers. It wasn't long ago when the vice president of this board dragged Wong Hills into the media spotlight with a lawsuit against the district regarding the summer reading list. While the suit was thankfully dismissed, it wasted district taxpayer money and made a mockery of our learning community as one vulnerable to censorship efforts. This continued conversation regarding policy does and will do

080the same, continuing to take the spotlight from our incredibly talented students and staff and highlight that this board's inability to do what's right for all students. In closing, I want to acknowledge that members of our Watching Hills community have a full appreciation for the dedication and the time commitment this board role requires. But time and effort are meaningless when we lose sight of the reason we are all here. So, I urge you once again to do what's right and ensure policy 5756 remains in place to protect our vulnerable youth. [Applause] Thank you, uh, Patricia. I'm Patricia Rexford from Warren. My pronouns are she, her. Happy Pride. We celebrate Pride Month [Applause] to honor those who fought before us for basic human rights, dignity, and respect, and to remind ourselves in the community that the fight

081is not over. And the fight is far from over. I don't know a single LGBTQIA plus person who feels safe in the United States right now. The headlines are filled with stories of people be people being brutally attacked and even murdered for being trans or perceived as trans. And yet against that backdrop backdrop we are once again here discussing rescending policy 5756. And I have to ask to what end? The excuses tonight are trans youth in sports and forced outing of kids to parents. So, let's talk about it. Trans kids in sports is a statistically tiny occurrence. According to the president of the NCAA, of the more than 500,000 total college athletes in 2024, fewer than 10 were transgender. That's 0.002%. Statistically, it's simply a non-issue. I would be surprised if there were more than

082one, if any, aspiring trans athletes here at Wong Hills. More importantly, as mentioned, this board doesn't have the authority to exclude trans kids from sports. Their rights are protected under the New Jersey law against discrimination. The NJSIA, which governs the rules of high school sports, has recently reaffirmed its longstanding policy that trans kids can participate in sports in accordance with their gender identity. The code of ethics of this board, the uh requires that you uphold and enforce all laws, rules, and regulations pertaining pertaining to schools. And it goes on to say that desired changes shall be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures. And you took an oath to do just that. The law on trans kids in sports in New Jersey is clear. If you disagree with it, the legal and ethical procedure

083is to take that debate to Trenton, not to Watung Hills. It's been mentioned that we can just we can easily just stay silent on the policy with respect to trans kids and sports. But let me be 100% clear. There is no staying silent on this issue. And the kids are listening. They watched the video of your March meeting. They already know that half of the adults, the very adults who are supposed to be keeping them safe, have sent a clear message that queer kids are not welcome, respected, or safe here. The only thing your discussion on this topic today did was double down on that message of disrespect. And if that was your intended message tonight, tip of the hat for your timing during Pride Month. Way to really turn the knife. The second issue

084that was mentioned was parental right to know. The vast majority of the cases the parent knows. The kid feels comfortable and safe talking to their parents. This policy is meant to protect those kids where it isn't safe. And if a kid is coming to you and saying confidentially that it is not safe for them to be out at home, who is in the best position to know whether that home is safe? Who are you to secondguess that kid who is saying they are not safe? And speaking of safety, the incidence of suicide among LGBT youth is already more than double that of their cisgender heterosexual counterparts. A 2023 report found that over 40% of LGBTQ youth had seriously considered attempting suicide in the prior year and that one in five, 20% had attempted suicide. That

085risk can go down by up to 40% for queer youth if they have at least one accepting adult in their lives. This board is not supposed to be political. It is supposed to be focused on the kids. So, as you contemplate what kind of message you want to send to the kids of Wong Hills, I'm going to leave you with a quote that I see every year during Pride Month, and it seems particularly poignant this year. Pride Month is not about turning straight kids into queer kids. Pride Month is about not turning queer kids into dead kids. Happy Pride. [Applause] I just want to confirm, Angie, you already spoke. Is that correct? Oh, okay. I apologize. Angie, you're up. Thanks for waiting for me. Appreciate it. Hello, my name is Angelina Rede. My pronouns are

086she, her, and I'm a lifetime Warren resident and a recent graduate of Washington Hills for the class of 2024. I also have a 15-year-old brother who is a rising sophomore here. I first wanted to say thank you for taking the time to listen to me and the rest of our community members. We are all incredibly grateful for the work that you put in to maintaining a safe and supportive educational environment for our students and your work does not go unseen. With this being said, I wanted to bring up the topic of policy 5756 in regards to transgender students. Policy 5756 was put into place to ensure that the identity of transgender students is respected and valid in schools without mandatory parental notification. It ensures a safe and supportive environment for a vulnerable community that continues

087to face discrimination both inside and outside of our schools. I wanted to first take a minute to share my experience. As a former student of Watching Hills and a member of the LGBTQ plus community, I cannot confidently say that I have felt entirely supported by my peers due to my sexuality. I often heard slurs being thrown around in conversations about other LGBTQ plus students and have even experienced this matter of language being used towards me in the halls, in classrooms, and at various school events. Discrimination and harassment are learned behaviors and so it's up to the administration to foster a community of support and acceptance for our LGBTQ plus students rather than working to strip away the very policies that are here to protect us. I'd also like to mention Michael Burnernberg's earlier comment, be

088careful what you wish for. In response to policy 5756, I want you to know that what we wish for and what should be the standard is for a community that doesn't take advantage of the current political climate and use it to harm vulnerable members of our community. This climate is one that is actively working to harm this political climate is one that is actively working to harm the LGBTQ plus community. And so our priority here at Watching Hills should be to make everyone feel as safe and as seen as possible. Repealing policy 5756 does just the opposite. It shows our transgender student body that their privacy and thus their sense of security here is at risk. This next part is important and I would like everyone here to take a minute to understand what this

089really means. Not everybody has the privilege to come home to a supportive family. Not everyone has the privilege to come home to an environment that is safe for them and their identity. And so it's up to you as a board and it's up to the school to provide a safe space for these students to express their identities. Despite not being directly impacted by policy 5756, I also wanted to take a moment to discuss your previous claims about transgender students in sports. As a former multiport varsity athlete, I have never once felt threatened, angry, or that having a transgender student play alongside me or against me is, as Dan Gall says, inappropriate. What I have felt, however, is anger and frustration to the community members who believe that this is what our most pressing issue is

090for our student body. Unless you've experienced what it's like to be an LGBTQ plus student. Unless you've experienced what it's like to be an LGBTQ plus student, especially in our current political climate, you cannot understand truly how scary it is to feel like your identity is under attack every day. These are your community members, your students, your friends, and your family, and they deserve to be protected. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Nicole, Greg O'Reilly, you look familiar. My name is Greg O'Reilly. I'm a Warren resident. I've been teaching here as a social studies teacher for some time. Uh thank you for the opportunity to speak on this issue. It is painful to listen and to watch the board contemplate repealing policy 5756. Repealing the policy would remove publicly stated commitments towards specifically supporting

091LGBTQ plus students in our learning community. It provides considerations and safeguards regarding problems those students may encounter here at school. But it also provides a commitment to communicate and help facilitate resources for family members of those students when conflicts arise. It's upsetting how much of the board's concerns for repealing policy 5756 have focused exclusively on a parents perspective and a hypothetical situation in which parents are not informed about confidential conversations rather than from the student perspective. Dr. Tom DeGansy was a tremendous educator at Wung Hills and the fact that his name is brought up on a regular basis in the hallways of the school is a testament to how influential he was and how much he meant to the faculty and staff and how much they looked up to him. And one of the first

092lessons that he offered new teachers that he offered me was do no harm. He'd remind us that getting through the curriculum that's an important priority. Uh balancing all the different types of learning activities and uh is also significant. But it would always come back to do no harm because we work at a school with young adults. We're in a period in their lives in which they feel vulnerable as they define and determine who they are going to be in their life. What they require from us is flexibility, grace, and at times privacy in their adolescence to make that determination. As Superintendent JW expressed, repealing this policy will not change the legal responsibilities and actions of the faculty and staff. Conversations held in confidence regarding issues that students are struggling with will be maintained and that

093the school will continue to provide a safe environment for all students to grow and to learn in. Considering Dr. Jwit's comments as well as the disorganized approach in repealing the policy. It seems clear that this is more about sending a message that this board may not be interested in supporting all of our students at Wong Hills. Repealing this policy does harm. It is offensive to students. It is offensive to educators and it's offensive to the parents of this community. Being a teacher or being a teenager in high school is a wonderful time. It's a time of discovery and definition of one's character that can be difficult fraught with growing pains. And this district doesn't have to add to that difficulty by sending this message. I believe it is the district's job to support our students

094as much as possible in order to create that safe environment that requires this district to unequivocally demonstrate their support for all of our students regardless of race, religion, orientation, and gender. I implore the members of this board of education to maintain policy 5756 as a symbol of their commitment towards supporting all of the young adults of our school community. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Greg. Is it Sheriff Bushan? Close. Maybe it was a good try. It's all you can ask for me. Hello everybody. My name is Shiva Bushan. I am from Warren. I am a non-binary student here at WHRHS who identifies as transgender. And even though I am in a safe place with my family and identity, I know some that aren't. First of all, I want to thank all of you

095from the bottom of my heart for coming here and speaking about this policy. everybody who came up here and fought their for this policy with us that it means so much to us at GSA. I am the current president of our school's GSA and as Miss Rexford said, yes, we did see what you have said about this last time and we were quite appalled. I know somebody who has to hide their identity at home because of the fear of discrimination. I know someone who is terrified of the idea of coming out at home for their own safety. And I know somebody who wanted to come up here and fight this policy with me but could not because if their parents found out who they are, they could be subjected to the abuse that is conversion

096therapy. May I ask you, is this something you'd like for students who trust you in the school, the place that they are supposed to be in for the next four years, to feel as if they need to hide who they are for the sake of having a place to sleep at night. And for students who come into watching reels regional high school to feel in danger because if there is anything I felt in this school from the moment I came here it is it has been one thing safe. I have felt safe because of GSA. I have felt safe because of pr pride stickers teachers put in the doors of their classroom. And I have felt safe knowing that I would if I lived in an unsupportive home, my community here would not out me

097to to my family, putting me in danger. Do you want that safety that you have provided for me and other students to be re removed? Would you want our community to feel in danger here? And for what may I ask you? What is it so important for a parent to need to know about their child? So it gives you author the authority of outing them student and putting them in danger. I would love to have a world where every single queer kid is safe and outing kids would not put them in danger but respectfully we do not live in that world. We live in a world where outing que uh queer kids uh from to their parents could put them in risk. According to the National Queer Task Force, adding a student is a process

098that puts the victim in risk of self-injury and suicide. And a 2021 survey of more than 22,000 LGBTQIA youth found 83% experience harassment or assault in school. Now, I want you to imagine that harassment at home without the harassment, intimidation, bullying uh laws to protect them. Only one in three of LGBTQIA youth said that they live in an LGBTQ affirming home according to the Trevor Project, meaning that the other twothirds are in put in possible risk of homelessness. This risk is great amongst transgender youth who are 60% more likely to experience physical abuse than their gender conforming peers. To add on to that, 22% of the Williams Institute at UCLA students school of law found that 43% of homeless to LGBTQ teens were kicked out of their homes by unsupported parents. And also to add

099a to add to the topic of and the argument of transgender woman in sports, a 2020 paper published in the British Journal of Sports Med and Medicine was added to increase the large evidence that transgender women are not advant and are not naturally at advantage after transition. This paper comparing transgender women, cis women and cis men and transgender men who compete in irregular competitive sports found that transgender women had a lower body strength and reduced lung capacity than cis women. Bone density was also equivalent. This study verifi verifies what was found reported by the Canadian Center of Ethics and Sport in 2024 that trans women who go through testosterone permission and gender affirming medical care which is available to teenagers uh do not possess a biomedical EV edge over cis women in sports. As somebody

100who is directly affected by this policy and it existing, please do not remove it. I can confirm that most of us in our GSA are really scared right now because of what is going on around over here. We do feel very protected by you. Don't get me wrong, but we are also feel very in risk thanks to the talk meetings talking about this issue. I thank you all for your time and I especially thank everybody who came here to support this policy and everybody who came here to everybody who came here to fight for it. [Applause] Thank you, Shiv. I appreciate that. Um, I think I've gone through the entire list. That does not mean that anyone else is preempted from saying something. So, if you would like to say something, please come on up.

101State your name and where you're from. Hi, Lee Brodsky. a Hillsboro resident, but I've been an English teacher at Wong Hills for since 2006, and a lot of people have come up. Um, there's been a lot of statistics thrown out and um, I did send an email to the board of ed because I wasn't sure if I was going to make the meeting tonight, but there's one other statistic that I do want to bring up that nobody's mentioned yet. 33%. years ago we did a survey was our first survey on the school climate and the number 33% came up as the number of students who felt that they had an trustworthy adult in the building and that was shocking to a lot of us and if I memory serves that was the impetus for our

102first strategic plan. It was how do we connect with our students? How do we know that kids are safe and how do we give them a safe place in our building? How do we make sure that that number grows? And a policy like 5756 as Shiva pointed out and others have pointed out here does that for the majority of students that are transgender or gender non-conforming their families are supportive and that's wonderful. But there are students where that is not the case. And not only um that you know 40% are more likely to be victims of bullying, four times more likely to attempt suicide, but also that threat of homelessness, that threat of food insecurity not only plays on students mental health outside of school, but it also impacts their grades. Not that grades are

103the only p piece of our job, but as teachers, we want them to do well in the classroom, too. I have a number of family and friends that have gone through transition. I have seen what this looks like and I have seen how they are um struggling in the world today. And these are younger people to full-grown adults. And the one thing I can confidently say is they want to live their lives. They want to be able to be who they are and self-actualize and work and have families. That's what they want. That's their agenda. So to focus on the most targeted of minorities as a teacher, um to have students feel like they are less safe. To me, they're my primary stakeholders. So, thank you for listening to us. Thank you for giving us

104this platform. Thank you everyone who spoke. Um and have a good evening. Thank you very much. Um, is there anyone else? Okay, great. Well, thank you everybody for your comments. That ends the first opportunity for public comment. Uh, seven, discussion of agenda items. Do we have agenda item? Were there addendum items? Okay. I'm sorry. Is there any discussion with respect to those addendum items before we move into action items? Uh, Mr. Pres, Mr. President, um, I'd like to move items A1 through A6, A10, and A1. Second. Any discussion with respect to those? Seeing none, roll call. Mr. Majio, yes. Miss Lee Marichek, yes. Morrison, yes. Potter, yes. Pasa, yes. Trumpour, yes. And Mr. Burber, yes. Motions carry. Mr. President, I'd like to move items A7 through A9 and A12. Second. Hey, this you're you're not

105into this one. I'll make a second. Okay, great. Just to make sure. It's probably best. It's probably best you don't because you're not voting. Just in case. But thank you. Uh any discussion with respect to those items? Seeing none, roll call. Mr. Majio. Scallic. Yes. Lee. March. Yes. Morrison. Yes. Brasa? Yes. Trumpour? Yes. Mr. Burberg? Yes. Motions carry. Mr. President, I'd like to move items C1 through C25. Second. Any discussion with respect to those 25 items? Roll call, please. Mr. Deaggio. Gall. Yes. Lee Marichek, yes. Morrison, yes. Mr. Potter, yes. Miss Pasca, yes. Trumpour, yes. And Mr. Burnberg, yes. Motions carry. Mr. President, I'd like to move items D1 through D30, D35 and 36, D38 and 39. Second. Any discussion with respect to those items? I'd just like to uh point out for the board

106that D35 and D36. D35 uh the board accepts with gratitude donations from the donors and the amounts indicated for the Ben Wat Watkins Memorial Scholarship from Andrea and Ivan Marmallejo, Aaron Marmalleos, Ethan Marmale House, Meredith Marmalle, and Katie Tan. Uh and then also uh the board of education accepts with gratitude a grant for the amount of $5,500 from the Special Olympics of New Jersey to help defay the costs of the 2526 Unified Flag Football Team. We thank them for their support. Yes. Thank you. Uh roll call with respect to those items. Mr. Majio, Mr. Galla, yes. SE, excuse me, Mr. Mayek, yes. Mr. Morrison, yes. Otter, yes. Yes. Trumpour, yes. And Mr. Burnberg, yes. Motions carry. Uh, Mr. President, I'd like to move items D31 through. Uh, any discussion with respect to those items. Okay.

107Roll call, please. Mr. Deaggio. Mr. Gall. Yes. M. Lee? March? Yes. M. Morrison? Yes. Miss Prasa? Yes. Miss Trump? Yes. And Mr. Burke? Yes. Thank you. M Carrie. Great. All right. Appreciate all that. Okay, we now quickly are into the second opportunity for public comment. Uh again, these comments can be on any item, not limited to the agenda items. Again, all comments are limited to five minutes. Uh is there anyone who'd like to make a comment if you would state your name and where you're from. Okay, seeing none. Moving on. I'm sorry. Yes. I apologize. Twice. Rexford, again, still from Warren. Um, I would strongly urge if you are going to revise a policy that directly affects the transgender community that you do so in consultation with members of the transgender community, be that the

108students or their parents. Are there any other public comments? All right, great. Uh do we have any other business that anyone would like to talk about before we move into Yesbama? So, I just I want to reiterate and just remind board members that when we are communicating outside of our role as board members, whether it's in written communication, social media posts, or anything of that nature, it is critical that you identify that the comments you are making are yours as a personal opinion and that they are not reflective of the uh or representative of the board of education. No member of this board can act on behalf of this board without the entire board being impanled and the opinions of individual board members are just that opinions. They don't have the force of policy and

109is only this board as a whole that can implement policy and I think that um recent activities have created uh a lot of concern in the community and have certainly commun created uh a a lot of unease Um, and I I just urge everyone in this environment to be very careful what we post publicly because we are perceived whether we state it or not as speaking on behalf of the board. And I think in this particular environment and as I've mentioned to this board before, we need to do everything that we can to make sure that politics stops at the door to this room. We are not a political body. We are a nonpartisan body and we are put in place to oversee the quality of education for all of our students and to be

110the efficient caretaker of the taxpayer dollars that they entrust us with to invest in the quality of education for our students. Politics does not belong at the schoolboard table and there's too much divisiveness that's going on in this country. [Applause] There is too much divisiveness that's going on in this country and the political rhetoric that's going on right now and and what we are seeing taking place on both sides is very deeply concerning and I'm just implore my fellow board members to please please keep that stuff out of this board table. Thank you. Thank you, Bob. I have something. Yeah, go ahead. Captain, first of all, I want to congratulate all the graduates. Um, the speeches were fabulous. And I'm going to say my favorite speech was the 11-second speech. It really made gave me

111as an older person really gave you something to think about because there's too many times you achieve something and then you're ready to move on to the next thing and you don't take that moment to, you know, really enjoy what you've done. So, it was an awesome graduation. So, thank you Liz and Michael and the students that spoke. They were great. Um, anyone else? Okay, so uh the next uh order of business u as alluded to earlier and as everyone noticed we are Yes. Sorry. Is it possible we can take a five minute break before we move on to the Thank you. Before we move on to the interviews, okay, hold on one second. We're going to take a fivem minute break, but what's going to happen after that break, we are going to uh

112interview for the board board vacancy. We have two individuals who have submitted their names to be uh considered. And the way it works is the nine of us, the nine board members, we then decide who will fill the term, excuse me, who will fill that position until the next election. Uh again, uh each individual have an opportunity to speak. Uh the board will ask questions. That'll all be done publicly. The order will be I'll ask Tim who submitted first. First person who submitted, I'll let them go first. Do we know who sub Okay, good. There were only two people, so get it right. Uh again, it's uh we interview them, then we go into executive session to uh cons deliberate who it will be and then we come out with a decision and uh that's

113decisions made public and at that point we will swear in that individual and they will be tonight a u a board member effectively a board member. There's other things they'll have to do in the interim, I mean subsequent, but they will officially be a board member tonight. So, if there's no issue, we'll take five minutes and then we'll uh come back. So, we just have a Do we need a motion, do you think, for a journ? All right. All right. Fine. I know. I know. Okay, welcome back. Thank you for indulging that five minute break. Uh again as mentioned we are moving on to the board uh uh interview with respect to the open seat uh for long hell I believe. Uh who is our first candidate? Mr. eyes. Totally not ready for you. You

114weren't ready. Of course not. All year. Thank you. Thank you to Nicole for helping me out once again. Uh Lori Fazerano Razki. Great. So, if you can come up to the podium. Okay. Thank you for submitting your cance. if you want to just give us a few minutes. Again, everyone's had the opportunity to review your uh uh your resume, your CV and uh your cover letter. If you want to just give a little bit about yourself and then the board has a few questions. Sure. Great. Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Lori Falerano Resmerki. I am a resident of Long Hill. I grew up there, went to the schools there, graduated from Wong Hills. Uh moved away for a little while. Well, I made it as far as Somerset and Hunter County and

115now I'm back. I've been back for the last uh 14 years. I am interested in being a member of the board even after listening to everything today. That was a tough meeting. I'm not going to lie. What would you like to know? Okay, welcome. Uh, we want to find out if there's uh any particular issues that motivate you um and to serve on the board then. I'd have to say the most important is the fiscal responsibility. That's probably the number one issue. No, I I don't feel comfortable answering without doing research or without knowing more about it. It's that's not a but I'm concerned about fiscal responsibility. Fair enough. Okay. Uh Janine, did you have a question? If you could change one thing about our district, what would it be and why? I honestly don't

116know. I really don't know. I have not attended enough board meetings to say this is a problem, this is not. Um I come in with no personal agenda. I am here because I feel that it's what's best for the students, for the parents, for the taxpayers on all levels. I again I have no personal agenda. I am a Long Hill resident. I believe in giving back to the community. Um, it's something I've wanted to do for quite a while, I'll be honest. But my job prohibited me. I worked nights, evenings, weekends. I am recently retired, so I have the time to devote to being a board member. And I would just like to congratulate Mr. Sty on his upcoming retirement. I hope it's long and happy because let me tell you, so far mine is

117fabulous. Thank you. Thank you, Carol. I believe you had a question. So, everyone can hear me. So what do you see as the role of a member of the board of education? Well, the board is responsible for developing policy as we learned tonight. Uh superintendent oversight, hiring, evaluation, it's budget oversight. It is accountability to the students, the parents, and the taxpayers. And it's ensuring state and federal compliance. Great. Thank you, Dan. I believe you had a question. Oh, sorry. Abob, I didn't see you over there. I apologize. So, I did I know I'm easy to miss. Um, so, um, first of all, uh, just curious, are you related to Peter? Yes. I had the the pl the the privilege of serving on this board with him for many years. He speaks very highly of you.

118I I certainly appreciated him as well. So my question is uh what do you see as the major issues facing the school district? A this school district a and then b widen it out to public education in general. Fiscal responsibility budgeting for people who are on a fixed income, people who have young children. The amount of taxes that go to the schools in New Jersey is very high. And I don't have any answers for it, but I do see that as the biggest issue. And would you say that's that's the same thing when you just for public education in general? Yes. Thank you, Dan. I apologize. Your turn. So, um, if you are chosen this evening, you'll be able to be sworn in, but you will, um, or is your your intention to file and

119run for this particular seat in November? Yes, it is. Yes. So, you understand that you need to file I think by the end of July 28th, I think it is. July. Okay. Just want to make sure that's clear. Yes. Thank you. Any additional questions with respect to Lori? Great. Well, thank you. We appreciate your time. Again, thank you for submitting. That's not the easiest thing to submit to us or to try to be part of this. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay. Uh, is it Monica? Man, I apologize. Monica. Good evening everyone. My name is Manika Bake and I'm honored to be considered um for the position on the board of education. Um I am a resident of Longhill. I have been a resident for Long Hill for the past

120nine years. I am a full-time mom um to four kids. I have two daughters and two um beautiful I would say two sons, twin boys. Uh my daughters um currently attend Millington School and my twin boys would start school in two years and I feel that I am a full-time wife to my husband as well. Um on the professional front I work as an integration lead um with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. My decision to run for the board of education comes from a deep personal commitment to the future of our children and the strength of our schools. As a parent, I understand the firthand concerns, hopes, and expectations families have when it comes to their child's education. Professionally, I lead complex projects that require collaboration, strategic planning, and clear communication skills

121that I believe are vital for serving effectively on the board. I'm passionate about ensuring that all students have access to high quality education and supportive learning environment. I want to be a voice for parents and families, promote transparency in decision-making, and help shape policies that truly reflect the needs of our community. Last, but not the least, I also recognize and deeply value the dedication of our teachers who are the heart of our school system. Their tireless efforts, creativity, and commitment to our children's growth deserve not only our respect, but our unwavering support. I believe it's essential that we continue to empower and partner with our educators to create classrooms where both students and teachers can thrive. It would be an honor to serve and work alongside fellow members to help our schools thrive. Thank you.

122Thank you. Appreciate that. Um Heather, welcome. Same question. Um is there any particular issue that motivates you for serving on the board? Um yes so I would definitely um piggy back on her comment that yes it's the the budget and the fiscal um uh issue and other than that I would say um it's the um educational equity like there I I see there is a lot of growing disparity in the educational um equity um and I also see that there are um post-pandemic uh issues that have come up um teacher retentions we do not have enough you resources for uh the kids to learn. Um so that's one of the things that I would definitely consider um as an issue and to run for the district. Janine, if you could change one thing about our

123district, what would it be and why? So honestly, um I really don't know much about the district. The reason that I'm running um for the board is because I have four kids and eventually everybody is going to be a part of this school. Um so I want to start early and I want to give it back to the community and you know help my kids grow along with me when I'm going to grow and learn. Um but again I did do some research. I did go online. I saw what the district is doing and I was very much impressed with the regionalization efficiency program that the district is working on. Um, so for now I would say I I wouldn't like to change anything for the district because I really do not know um much

124about the district. Carol, what do you see as the role of a board of education member? Um so the role um as a board of education member um of course I I just sat through uh the entire meeting and um I would say it's the policies that you know um the fed policy the state policy that comes in um we have we all have to respect that and we have to be in agreement um and come up with a decision and support our community um about those policies and I would also say um it's about strengthening the school community engagement and um supporting our student mental health and well-being. Okay, thank you Bob. [Laughter] I didn't forget you this time. I just I don't write that fast. So, um so what do you see as

125the major as the major issue facing ARP? It's a followup. What do you see as a major um as the major issue facing public education in general? Um so the M district I as I just said earlier I wouldn't be able to comment on that but um in general I would say um that you know many schools are facing the districts are facing challenges and opportunities um such as funding um equity there is um there is not enough curriculum consistency and um resource sharing that requires a broader and a collaborative approach. Thank you, Dan. Same question. You're aware uh that if appointed this evening, you would serve the rest of the term, but is it your intention to file to run at the end of July? Yes, I have the petition ready. I just have

126to go and submit it to the county clerk. Okay. Thank you. Great. Well, again, I want to thank both candidates. U certainly appreciate it. Uh again, public service is one of the great things that you can provide. Um I know I've enjoyed it for a couple years. Um so again, as mentioned, we're going to go into executive session soon um to discuss the candidates. Then we'll come out with a decision and at that point we can swear it in swear in that individual. In accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, be it hereby resolved that the board move into executive session to discuss the board vacancy appointment after which action may be taken. It is expected that the matters discussed in executive session will be made public as soon as

127the need for confidentiality no longer exists. Can I have a motion to move in? Seconded. Okay. All those in favor? I. Okay. So, we're going to move into another room and hopefully we'll be out shortly. Time Okay, thank you everybody. Appreciate you staying around. I know it's getting late. Hopefully we should be out of here by 11 o'clock. I'm sure. Oh my god. No, no, we'll be out by 11. Well, we will. Yeah, it's true. No, I mean way before 11. way before 11. Yeah, that's what I that's uh again. Okay. It gets the less funnier you become. Thanks, Bill. Funny to begin with. Okay, first and second. All right. So, again, thank you everybody. Uh we've had an opportunity and again I want to thank both candidates for their submission. I know it's a

128difficult decision and it's appreciated with respect to uh uh taking on a role as a board member. Uh again we did deliberate uh we discussed both candidate and uh I think I can say we were impressed with both of them and uh with that being said I think I will entertain a motion respect to the candidate. I'll make a motion um for Lori Felzerano and forgive me your last name your Rasmmer Murski. Rasmmer Murski as a replacement second. Okay, great. Is there any discussion with respect to her? Okay, then we're going to go move right into a roll call vote. I I just like I like to echo what you said. Thank you very much. Both candidates were excellent. Uh and I do appreciate the time and energy. Okay. Mr. Majio, Mr. Galla, yes. Miss

129Lee, yes. Mayor, yes. Morrison, yes. Miss Potter, yes. Yes. Yes. And Mr. Burnberg, yes. Okay. Motion carries. Congratulations, Flor. Uh, I think the next step is to actually be sworn in. So, please come on up here. Mr. Sty will swear you in and then he will explain if not today, tomorrow the extra other procedures that you have to go through, fingerprinting, etc. And he'll give you the schedule of when we expect to see you again, go from there. And again, if you have any questions or issues, we do not have you uh Sorry. I'm sorry. I mean to cut you off. So, um, I'm just going to have you read this. Okay. Okay. You can raise your right hand as you're reading it. Uh, and just insert your name in it, obviously. And then I,

130Lori Felzerano Rosmerski, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and this state under the authority of the people. So, help me God. Isn't it the same thing? Okay. Oh, I, Lori Felzerano Rasmmerski, do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education and that I will faithfully, impartially, and just justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability. So help me God. She can make the motion to hold on before we make the motion to adjourn again. Man, what's for everyone's rush? You

131got a whole summer. Relax. Uh Lori, welcome. Again, uh Tim will go over the other things that you need to do. uh just be mindful that I am at your disposal as a new board member. You may not know the ins and outs that I necessarily know all of them, but I'm certainly available. Feel free to call me and sure speaking on behalf of the other board members as well. You obviously can reach out to them. Uh we look forward uh a great collaborative effort and you know you know educating you on the issues and what's facing us right now and u so again welcome and thank you. Now I'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. [Music] I I will make a motion to adjurnn. Second. Second. All those in favor? We stand adjourn. Thank you.