Every month, the Sayreville Board of Education fulfills their special duty, rain or shine.
Located in a nostalgic place for many, the Samsel Upper Elementary School is where the district conducts public meetings tailored to inform community members. The board features Lucy Bloom, Jeffrey Smith, Christopher Callahan, Carrie Chudkowski, Eloy Fernandez, Katya Hernandez, Leidy Maldonado, Alison Napolitano, and Eileen Pabon. The audience ranges from long-time Sayreville residents to supportive friends and curious students.
Things like the $1,000 donations from the New York Giants and the New Jersey Educators Association are just a small scope of the informative, interesting topics the board addresses.
Those who have unaddressed concerns may voice them during the Open Public Comment portion. At the last meeting, the hot topic among citizens was policy 5756.
Many students don’t know about educational policies, but it is important to be aware of them because they outline their rights as a student. Policy 5756 is a New Jersey school policy that protects transgender and gender nonconforming students. Its goal is to ensure that all students are treated fairly, feel safe, and have equal access to school programs. Although this may sound good on paper, many residents are against it.
“This is not about politics. This is about parental rights, transparency, and [the] relationship between families and school,” one passionate speaker said in regards to policy 5756.
“Parents should have access to all curriculum…Parents should have access to review all and any of their child’s school records…Parents should be able to be notified of any health or related changes affecting their child. These are just some of the basic rights to restoring transparency, trust, and partnership between school and families,” another speaker said.
[Note: Speaker’s names and correct spellings were unable to be discerned from the transcript of the meeting.]
Both statements display that the area of concern lies within the “Student-Centered Approach” section of the policy, which specifically states: “There is no affirmative duty for any school district staff member to notify a student’s parents of the student’s gender identity or expression.”
With new technology, social media, and shifting trends, parents may feel foreign to their child’s world and are grasping for connection. However, it is also important to recognize that for some students, school is a space of expression, especially if their home life is unsupportive, and policy 5756 allows students to navigate their identity.
