Toms river school board refuses to rescind transgender policy; pascarella and oxley blast board — High School hallway - Photo by Melissa Evanko

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Parental rights have been a topic of heated discussion in New Jersey after Governor Phil Murphy announced parents would be kept in the dark when it comes to transgender issues regarding their children in public schools.

Districts were initially told the policy was mandatory, and the Murphy administration sued several school districts for not implementing it. If a child is questioning their sexual identity and wishes to be called by another name, under Murphy’s order, parents are not to be notified.

Teachers were even told that they could lose their teaching license if they did so. Following the revelation that the transgender policy for students was just guidance and not a mandate, several New Jersey districts have voted to scrap that policy entirely.

On Tuesday, school board member Lisa Contessa proposed a resolution to rescind that policy, a move widely supported in the majority Republican town.

“The motion would be to rescind policy 5756, the transgender policy, for revision to the language within the law, specifically around the area of parental rights and notification of student status,” Contessa said.

She was met with silence by all eight of the other school board members.

No other school board member would second Contessa’s motion to allow for a vote. “I think it’s outrageous! Parents have a right to know what is going on with their children”, said Diane Oxley.

Oxley is a school teacher who threw her hat in the ring for the school board this year.

“That’s just one of many reasons I’ve decided to run,” Oxley said.

Her running mate Paola Pascarella shared her outrage.

“I can’t believe no one would second Ms. Contessa’s motion to rescind this policy! The residents of Toms River will not forget where the rest of you stood on this issue! I commend school board member Lisa Contessa for being so courageous,” she added.

Pascarella is an entrepreneur and mother of two children who attend Toms River Schools and wants to see the policy changed as it affects parental rights to know what is happening with their children.

“The school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required. A student need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements to have his or her gender identity recognized and respected by the school district, school, or school staff members. There is no affirmative duty for any school district staff member to notify a student’s parent of the student’s gender identity or expression,” the LAD mandate dictates.

Toms River resident Maria Mitchel said, “I just don’t know why we can’t respect the rights of transgendered students and also the rights of parents to know that something is happening in school that they deserve to know about.”

School board Attorney William Burns justified the district’s guidelines, saying they were adopted by the board in 2019, and he believes it is required by state law under the NJ Law Against Discrimination enacted by Governor Phil Murphy, but without a legislature vote.

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