Embedded Files
YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS ARE BEING STRIPPED AWAY BY THE LOWEST LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WITHOUT DUE PROCESS AND WITHOUT DUE NOTICE.
YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS ARE BEING STRIPPED AWAY BY THE LOWEST LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WITHOUT DUE PROCESS AND WITHOUT DUE NOTICE.
Before we detail each argument so that you are aware of each issue with this dangerous and illegal policy, it is important to remember these overarching truthes:
POLICY 5756 adds NOTHING to Sayreville regulations EXCEPT to remove your rights as a parent:
A. Policy 5756 gives the school district carte blanche to hide life changing decisions by your child from you, the parent. The school does NOT have to tell you at all.
B. Policy 5756 gives boys in Sayreville the right to use girls' facilities including changing areas with no qualifications of their own gender identification.
C. It gives schools the right to create a shadow file on your child that is confidential from you.
D. It does not add one protection in terms of bullying, harassment, discrimination, or any other supposed threat. There are separate laws for each of these.
OUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS DANGEROUS POLICY 5756
OUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS DANGEROUS POLICY 5756
1. IT IS SIMPLY, AND HORRIFYINGLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
Under Troxel v. Granville and long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, parents have a fundamental constitutional right to direct the upbringing and care of their children — which includes knowing about significant issues like gender dysphoria or social transitioning at school.
· Parental rights are also protected at the state constitutional level.
o The New Jersey Constitution does not explicitly list parental rights in a separate article or clause; however, parental rights are strongly protected under New Jersey case law as fundamental rights derived from both:
§ Article I, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, which guarantees liberty and due process,
§ and interpreted in light of federal constitutional principles, including the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
o Article I, Paragraph 1:
§ "All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness."
· This clause has been interpreted by the New Jersey Supreme Court to include fundamental rights to family integrity and parental decision-making.
· Recognized Parental Rights in NJ Case Law:
o Right to Direct the Care, Custody, and Upbringing of One's Children
o New Jersey courts have affirmed that parents have a constitutional right to raise their children free from undue government interference.
o This includes decisions about education, medical care, discipline, religious training, and gender-related matters, subject to limits where a child’s health, safety, or welfare is at risk.
§ Example: In New Jersey Division of Youth & Family Services v. V.T., 423 N.J. Super. 320 (App. Div. 2011), the court held that the right to family integrity is among the most fundamental rights afforded to a parent.
o Right to Make Medical and Educational Decisions
o Parents typically have the authority to decide what medical treatment a minor child receives and what educational path the child follows (e.g., public school, private school, homeschooling).
o Right to Access Information About the Child
§ Under both NJ law and federal FERPA law, parents have the right to access educational records and information about their child's school activities, unless a court order says otherwise.
o Right to Be Notified of Governmental Interference
o If a state agency (like DYFS/DCF) or a school district takes action impacting parental rights (e.g., counseling a child on identity or medical treatment), the parent generally has a right to be informed unless a compelling reason (such as abuse risk) exists.
· The only reasons government may interfere:
o When there is a demonstrated risk of harm to the child (abuse, neglect, serious endangerment) from the parent.
2. Policy 5756 allows schools to hide a child’s gender preference from parents.
UNBELIEVABLY, it directs the principal to help the child conceal their gender choice from their own parents and guardians!
Quoting from the policy: "There is no affirmative duty for any school district staff member to notify a student’s parent of the student’s gender identity or expression." BUT... IT GOES FURTHER, making confidentiality mandatory for all school staff: "School staff members may not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status except as allowed by law. "
Here's the grammatical and customary-use breakdown:
"May not" in legal and policy language typically means "are not permitted to."
It creates a restrictive rule or prohibition.
The exception clause ("except as allowed by law") limits this rule only to circumstances where the law expressly allows disclosure — but outside of that, disclosure is prohibited.
What is UNFATHOMABLE AND UNETHICAL is that Policy 5756 instructs the Principal to encourage and assist the child in creating a plan to hide their transition from their parents and guardians:
Quoting from the policy: "The Principal or designee should also discuss with the student, and any other individuals at the student’s request, the risks associated with the student’s transgender status being inadvertently disclosed. For example, the Principal or designee should inform the student the transgender status may be revealed due to other students’ discussions at home. The Principal or designee should work with the transgender student to ensure awareness of activities and events that may inadvertently disclose the transgender student’s status."
Did you read that? The Principal SHOULD... SHOULD (not "can," not "might," not "could," and not "may;" but SHOULD (as in your job requires it) discuss the risks with the child of their status being inadvertently disclosed. WELL, WHO MIGHT THAT BE REFERRING TO THAT WOULD COME TO KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT'S STATUS? Obviously, the school staff knows, and the classmates would know, so who exactly OTHER THAN PARENTS AND GUARDIANS is the Principal warning against and planning against?? It is plain language that parents are NOT to be told about this secret.
The final nail in this coffin of our parental rights is the overarching directive of Policy 5756 which encompasses all employees of the district:
"The school district shall keep confidential a current, new, or prospective student’s transgender status."
Is there anything more encompassing, broad, obtuse, or conclusive than that?
3. Policy 5756 allows a secret file to be created on the child that is confidential to everyone except affected school staff.
This is a ploy to end run aroind parents and guardians by hiding their child's gender identity in a confidential file.
The Board of education tries to say that these confidential files are shared with parents and they are not confidential from parents or guardians. However, logically analyzing this aspect of the rule... ALL student files are confidential to other students and unaffected school staff. The policy makes provision for ANY school staff that may have a need to know SHOULD be given access to the confidential file.
Quoting from the policy: "If a student has expressed a preference to be called by a name other than their birth name, permanent student records containing the student’s birth name should be kept in a separate, confidential file. This file should only be shared with appropriate school staff members after consultation with a student. A separate file containing records bearing the student’s chosen name may also be kept...
The school district shall make a concerted effort to ensure school officials obtain access to only those education records in which they have legitimate educational interests...
If the school district changes a student’s name or gender identity, it must also maintain locally a separate record reflecting the student’s legal name and sex assigned at birth until receipt of documentation of a legal change of name or gender...
To ensure consistency among teachers, school administrators, substitute teachers, and other school staff members, every effort should be made to immediately update student education records (for example, attendance records, transcripts, Individualized Education Programs (IEP), etc.) with the student’s chosen name and gender pronouns, consistent with the student’s gender identity and expression, and not circulate records with the student’s birth name, unless directed by the student."
The only other people you would keep a file confidential from would be the child's parents / guardians. This see-through ploy by Policy 5756 and its supporters on the Board of Education is clearly meant to have one file with the child's actual information and a secret file that conceals the child's gender choices from parents.
4. Policy 5756 puts children who are in danger of suicide in greater danger by concealing the child’s predilection toward suicide.
The National Institute of Health has released research that shows that Transgender youth with. gender dysphoria are 86% more likely to have suicidal tendencies and thoughts and 56% of those youth have actually attempted or Accomplished suicide. This strong correlation, if nothing else, is an absolute red flag for parents to know. and be on the lookout for their children to be suicidal and. or self harming.
Despite knowing this, the Board has decided that parents are the danger and not a. a resource or safe haven for their own children. In fact, the Board of Education has decided that parents shouldn't even know that children have this unfortunate tendency and dangerous spike in risky behavior.
By hiding this risk factor from parents, the Board of Education and the Sayreville School District are putting children at greater risk. It is easy math to understand that if 86% of children who show signs of gender dysphoria are suicidal, then isolating them from their parents (with absolutely no evidence or even accusations of parental misconduct) is actually a risk multiplier.
If you are trying to save the greatest number of children from suicide, then the 86% logically would be given greater care and attention by parents than by any school official. Parents have the 24/7 responsibility and love of their child to find and provide them resources and help. Whereas schools and well-meaning faculty are not there for the child outside of school hours. If one percent of those 86% are actually at risk FROM the parent, then there are other laws, policies and procedures to deal with that. Just as with any parental abuse or neglect would be dealt with. There is no reason to assume that parents are a danger to their child because of gender dysphoria. The assumption should be that a suicide risk MUST be taken to a parent or guardian immediately.
5. Policy 5756 keeps parents in the dark about their own child’s mental health issues.
As already demonstrated, and as many international studies have found, transgender and gender dysphoria affected children are prone to other mental illness including depression, self-harm, cutting, self-mutilationm and suicide. Schools are required to inform parents of identified risks and dangers to their children. This is no different.
New Jersey under Senate Bill S‑1548 / Assembly Bill A‑1028, signed by Governor Murphy on March 31, 2025, actually requires parental consent for a child to carry and use sunscreen in school, But the proponents of Policy 5756 on the Sayreville Board of Education have decided that gender dysphoria and suicidal ideation is not as important as sunscreen application.
6.Policy 5756 gives untrained teachers and school staff a directive to hide a child’s status from her or his parents.
Policy 5756 Does not mandate any training, extra counseling, or any qualification whatsoever to teachers or staff who may encounter a child that wishes to change their gender identity. The policy also does not mandate that a teacher, administrator, or any other staff bring the issue to the attention of a guidance counselor or other professional who is trained to deal with complex issues such as gender dysphoria.
More horrifying than that, is the fact that a teacher or staff member can unilaterally make a decision to withhold information from parents about a child's gender dysphoria. There is no requirement for staff to tell parents or guardians.
7. Policy 5756 is neither a law, nor is it required by law.
The proponents of Policy 5756 on the Board of Education are fond of saying that the policy is required by law. However, this is untrue and that fact has been well known by the Board members for years.
There is no New Jersey law requiring Policy 5756, nor is there any law requiring parents' rights to be removed simply because a child indicates gender dysphoria.
8. Sayreville students are protected by several laws that protect them from discrimination, harassment, bullying, and from unsafe domestic situations.
9. Policy 5756 contradicts the Board of Education’s other policies including Policy 9240.
Policy 9240 states clearly: " The Board of Education recognizes that the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of each child are ultimately responsible for the care and custody of that child, and that both parent(s) or legal guardian(s) share that responsibility equally....
Every parent, except as prohibited by Federal and State law, shall have access to records and information pertaining to his/her unemancipated child..."
The Board of Education has adopted Policy 5756 in clear contradiction and even in violation of its own internal policy: 9240. Therefore, it has a duty to remove the violating policy of 5756.
10. The Board of Education assumes you, as a parent are bigoted, racist, and a threat to your own children.
How do we know this? Because members of the Board of Education who are against rescinding this terrible policy have literally set it out loud, on the record. They think that you, the Sayreville residents, the parents of our students, are bigots who would literally either harm your own children; or allow your children to harm themselves without intervention. This is all documented in the meeting videos and minutes.
There really is no other reason to be hiding a child's gender identity, gender dysphoria, or any other mental illness from parents except that Board members believe parents are the problem. Certain Board members who are proponents of this policy 5756 believe that you are so hateful that you would allow your child to die.
11. Policy 5756 assumes you, the parent, are guilty before proven innocent and with no evidence or trial.
Instead of adopting a policy that takes a measured approach and analyzes the student's home situation with a structured process that is monitored by outside state and local authorities, the Sayreville Board of Education has adopted this policy that assumes YOU, as the parent, are guilty of wanting your child to be dead instead of transgender.
This policy 5756 assumes your guilt before you are proven guilty. It does this without due process of any kind or investigation of any kind. You are just a bigoted criminal in the eyes of the Board members who support Policy 5756.
12. Policy 5756 allows for children of any age to decide to transition their gender.
Policy 5756 does not have any guidance, requirements, or parameters around how old a child must be in order to make their own decision about gender identification without a parent's consent or a parent's knowledge. A kindergartener can simply say that they want to be the opposite gender and school staff MUST, according to Policy 5756, keep this confidential and adjust to the child's wishes immediately and universally.
To quote the policy: "The school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required."
13. Policy 5756 allows school staff of any level to determine without due process that a parent is a danger to their own child.
Every good parent knows that any child could assert a valid fear of verbal, emotional, or mental distress should the parent find out about stressful or troubling behaviors from the child.
For example, if any responsible parent or guardian is made aware of their child cheating at school, doing drugs, smoking, drinking, bullying other children, etc.; that child is in for a very distressful time. And rightly so. A responsible and loving parent knows that discipline and consequences are an essential exercise for the wellbeing and successful upbringing of a child.
Parents by their very nature and responsibility are required to threaten a child’s feeling of safety when the child is behaving in a dangerous, irresponsible, injurious, or illegal manner. For that matter, children who violate policies or commit crimes should also not feel safe in the presence of school administrators or criminal justice authorities.
Therefore, a child simply saying they are scared of a parent, or don't feel safe should a parent find out something about them should NOT be an immediate barrier to communication with the parent and a free pass for the Principal to create a plan to lie to the parents.
Of course, as with any other domestic situation, an evaluation should be done, but the rights of a parent to direct their child's upbringing cannot be interfered with because of a simple accusation or even fear. There are laws that protect children and processes to go through when a parent is suspected of abuse. Policy 5756 removes that due process and assumes a parent is a threat to the child's wellbeing without any required action ot investigation.
14. Policy 5756 allows males to participate in female sports endangering the female participants and unrightfully stealing their records, victories, and accomplishments while simultaneously making female students feel unsafe and possibly allowing bas actors to take advantage of the girls.
Quoting the policy: "With respect to gender-segregated classes or athletic activities, including intramural and interscholastic athletics, all students must be allowed to participate in a manner consistent with their gender identity. The school district shall:
Provide transgender students with the same opportunities to participate in physical education as other students in accordance with their gender identity;
Permit a transgender student to participate in gender-segregated school activities in accordance with the student’s gender identity;"
This puts Sayreville in the crosshairs of federal policies that prohibit allowing boys in girls' sports and threatens to withdraw all federal funding that might come toward Sayreville schools.
It also puts girls at a disadvantage in competition and in physical danger as demonstrated by multiple serious injuries to girls wrought by boys playing as girls. Lost scholarships, trophies, records, and the feeling of safety on their own teams is not okay. But Sayreville is allowing it!
Further than that, without any parameters or qualifications for a boy to claim to be a girl and gain access to girl's facilities, teams, and safe spaces... a boy can simply say they are transgender and be allowed to participate and violate girls' security: "A student need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements to have his or her gender identity recognized and respected by the school district, school, or school staff members."
15. Gender specific facilities including bathrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, etc. are open to any student who claims to be of the opposite gender from their biological anatomy.
Quoting from the policy: "All students are entitled to have access to restrooms, locker rooms, and changing facilities in accordance with their gender identity to allow for involvement in various school programs and activities."
This has proven to be a dangerous practice and girls have been harmed by boys acting in bad faith in districts around the country. This should not be allowed. It is beyond logic and absolutely lacks compassion and understanding for our young girls in the school district.
Instead of allowing biological girls to protest this use by boys, Policy 5756 makes the girls have to change venues and be the outliers. The oness is on a young girl to have the courage to say she is not comfortable and then be the outcast who has to go to the Nurse's office to change! That would be hard enough for any young child, but knowing that it will also possibly come with a political stigma for speaking up... that is unconscionable to put on a child.
Quoting from the policy: "Non-transgender students should also be afforded the option to use a private facility, such as a unisex facility or the nurse’s restroom, should they feel uncomfortable. "
16. Even if parents do not consent or express concern, the school is commanded by the Board of Education to proceed with allowing children to transition at school and to participate in sports and other activities outside their biological gender.
Quoting from the policy: "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. In the event a parent objects to the minor student’s name change request, the Superintendent or designee should consult the Board Attorney regarding the minor student’s civil rights and protections under the NJLAD. School staff members should continue to refer to the student in accordance with the student’s chosen name and pronoun at school..."
17. A student claiming a different gender is not required to show any proof or qualification of their chosen gender.
Quoting from the policy: "A student need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements to have his or her gender identity recognized and respected by the school district, school, or school staff members."
In other words, a boy who wants to use the girls' facilities needs only to claim he is a girl with no visible transition is allowed to do so. A bad actor male student can simple say, "I am a girl and I want to use the girls' room." He does not have to change his voice, his clothing, his demeanor, his hair, or ANYTHING to assert his right to use the girls' facilities according to Policy 5756.
18. Policy 5756 does NOT require a student who has asserted a wish to be transitioned or recognized as a different gender to undergo counseling, to talk with a trained guidance counselor, or even for school staff to encourage or prepare a child to tell their own parents. The policy does not have any requirement of school staff to refer the child to any resource or professional. While resources are mentioned, none of this is required of a teacher or faculty member who is otherwise required to keep the child's gender choices confidential from parents.
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