Colts Neck school board postpones vote on controversial gender identity policy
COLTS NECK, N.J. -- A New Jersey school board postponed a vote Wednesday ngiht on controversial new policies.
Critics and supporters of a proposed school district policy in Colts Neck packed a school gym on Wednesday night. The policy would task school principals with communicating a student's decision to change names or pronouns to parents.
"Don't have a trans kid? Keep your ill-conceived opinions to yourself because they are hurting our children," one person said.
"A kid, a child who believes in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny does not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to decide what their parents should and should not know," another person said.
Earlier this month in New Jersey, similar policies were enacted in Middletown, Marlboro and Manalapan. Supporters say this is about transparency, while critics say it's outing trans students to their families before they're comfortable doing so themselves.
"To keep parents in the dark, to lie to parents and to view parents as a problem is grossly irresponsible and a serious violation of parental rights," said Shawn Hyland, with the New Jersey Family Policy Center.
"Having teachers to confide in before my parents made me feel amazing, and with policy 57.56, you're taking that moment away from potentially hundreds of students," a Manalapan resident named Claire said.
In a statement to CBS New York, a spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says the proposed policies for transgender kids "would require school staff to 'out' them ... This administration will not stand for any organized efforts that undermine public education and marginalize our students."
School boards that enact these policies are in direct violation of state regulations, leading to lawsuits from the New Jersey attorney general's office.
That's in large part why Wednesday night's vote in Colts Neck was tabled.
- Related story: New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin files complaint to ban schools' controversial transgender policy
"I think any amount of time saves trans kids' lives," one person said.
"We will not stop. If I can save one child's life tonight, that's what I'm here for," another person said.