Supporters Stand Behind Transgender Students In Madison

MADISON, NJ — Following ongoing discussions about a district policy, a group of parents recently urged the school district to maintain a safe environment for transgender students during a Board of Education meeting.

Recently, a local parent group has voiced their opposition to the state transgender student policy in the Madison school district, even asking the board to consider proposed policy edits, which the board rejected.

The school board reaffirmed its commitment to the state policy, saying that any changes to it would contribute to the marginalization of local transgender students.

During the time for public comment at the board meeting, Cassie Jennings, a sophomore at Madison High School, spoke before the board and expressed her frustration with the ongoing discussions.

"I came here tonight because sometimes I think that adults in town don't realize that kids hear what you're talking about, and my friends and I, especially my trans friends, are really upset and scared when we hear that there are adults who want to change the transgender policy," Jennings said.

In Jennings' opinion, the existence of the policy gives the transgender community additional assurance that the school district is looking out for their interests. Jennings also lauded Madison High School Principal David Drechsel for his dedication to the protection of the LGBTQ+ community.

"I know that the issue of bathrooms has come up at the past board of education meetings and as a student at MHS, I want to say that bathrooms are such a small part of the school day... However nervous a cis kid may be to use the bathroom when a trans kid is in it, I promise that a trans kid is even more scared of being questioned or teased," Jennings said.

According to the school district's website, Policy 5756, titled "Transgender Students," was first adopted by the Madison school district in 2015 and then revised in 2019. The policy's goal is to establish guidelines for schools in addressing common issues concerning transgender students' needs.

One of the more contentious provisions of the policy, in the eyes of some parents, is that it states that the school district shall accept a student's asserted gender identity and that parental consent is not necessary.

"There may be instances where a parent of a minor student disagrees with the student regarding the name and pronoun to be used at school and in the student’s education records. School staff members should continue to refer to the student in accordance with the student’s chosen name and pronoun at school," the policy states.

This point was raised by a couple of parents and adults at previous board meetings, who stated that it does not seem right for teachers to lie to parents about their children if asked, and asked that the board be upfront about how such a situation would play out.

According to Mark Schwarz, Superintendent of Madison Public Schools, the school district would be unable to discuss those specifics with the public because each potential family case is handled differently depending on circumstance.

"Our policy allows a pretty good amount of flexibility and emphasizes the importance of coordinating with families. We recognize that we have to be very delicate if we ever do identify a circumstance where a child is identifying one way in school and the parents may not be aware of that," Schwarz said.

A woman named Beth, whose last name was inaudible on the meeting video, praised the board for standing up for transgender children and ensuring a safe space for all students to feel empowered to be themselves.

"The district supports our students regardless of how they identify in any category, and especially our transgender students. We absolutely support their well-being, we create safe spaces for them every day. We want them to know how much we care about them and stand by them," Schwarz said.