Controversial Parent Notification Policy Mulled By Long Valley Board

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Members of the Washington Township School District have started the conversation around implementing a parent notification policy similar to that of the Hanover Township School District.

The policy would require teachers to notify parents of any circumstances that may have an impact on a student's well-being due to a variety of factors such as bullying, unlawful activity, self-harm, athletic and academic performance and gender identity.

Board member John Holly brought the topic into conversation during the Aug. 29 school board meeting, reciting the Hanover Township policy and questioning why the Washington Township School District had not passed something similar.

The main section of the policy that Holly focused on related to the concept of parent's rights and the school's duty to inform parents about their children's mental health.

In response, board member Rob Waskis argued that the school district already has several policies requiring it to act and involve parents and other professionals when children exhibit signs of mental health issues or abuse.

However, Holly claims that the district's current transgender policy states that the school staff has no duty to notify parents about a student’s gender identity or expression.

If the school board changes that, they will appear to be in conflict with current education standards from the NJ Department of Education's Transgender Student Guidance, issued in 2018: Currently, New Jersey school districts are required to accept a student's preferred gender identity and pronouns without informing their parents.

Hanover tried to require teachers to disclose to parents the gender identity and sexual orientation of students.

In response, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the Hanover school district in May.

In a statement, NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin stated that what Hanover schools attempted was equivalent to "outing" LGBTQ+ teens and youth to their parents, exposing them to the risk of severe physical and mental harm — especially if parents disagree with the child's choices.

The Hanover school district responded by claiming that they are protecting parents' rights and familial privacy.

In June, however, Hanover held a special meeting in which they announced that they had revised and replaced a new "parental notice" policy.

At a court hearing on May 30, the two parties appeared before State Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz, who, according to NJ Advance Media, asked the parties to come to an agreement on policy revisions while he deliberated.

Since that hearing, the school district has made revisions to the policy, removing all mentions of gender identity and sexual orientation.

• Read related: Contested LGBTQ Policy Debated By State, Morris County School

The new policy, which went into effect on June 6, requires administrators to take the necessary steps to notify parents whenever a student discloses an issue or exhibits behaviors that may have an adverse impact on the student's physical or mental health, safety, or well-being.

"Such notification cannot be based solely on a student’s actual and/or perceived protected characteristics under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination," the revised policy reads.

During the meeting, several parents and community members spoke out in support of parents rights, stating that the school district had the duty to inform them if their children were struggling and could potentially harm themselves.

District Superintendent Peter Turnamian said that while the board seems open to the conversation of reviewing the policy, he wanted to emphasize that the school district takes all matters of mental health seriously.

"When it comes to self-harm, I want to assure everyone in this community that families are contacted and we work in partnership with families when we feel like there is a student who is at risk of self-harm. I just don't want anyone to leave tonight thinking that a family member would not be contacted if there was any indication of self-harm," Turnamian said.