Two New Jersey school districts have voted to remove transgender policies.
The Franklin Lakes School District voted 5-4 to stop its adoption of a state-recommended policy.
Westwood Regional School Board voted 5-2 to do the same.
Franklin Lakes trustee Scott Loia said the move to remove the policy supports parents’ rights.
“What’s important is leaving the window open where a kid could be affected by this if a certain staff member does, for instance, withhold information from a parent. That is more important to me than anything,” Loia said.
The state-recommended policy encouraged schools to “communicate openly, albeit confidentially, with students regarding their transgender status or gender identity.”
Moving to eliminate the state-recommended policy comes as leading mental health organizations have pushed transgender ideology onto school counselors.
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) called for school counselors to “promote affirmation, respect and equal opportunity for all individuals regardless of gender identity or gender expression.”
“School counselors encourage a safe and affirming school environment and promote awareness of and education on issues related to transgender and nonbinary students,” reads a statement from the ASCA.
“School staff should address students by their chosen/affirmed name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, regardless of whether there has been a legal name change,” it states.
