(Editors note: This is a corrected press release from the one submitted last night)

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF MEETING LOCATION TO THE CONOVER ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL, 56 CONOVER RD, COLTS NECK, NJ.
On Wednesday, June 28th, parent and students will be fighting back against the Colts Neck Board of Education which will be voting on a revision of Board Policy as it relates to the LGBTQIA+ community. Based upon the Revised Policy posted on the BOE website, the policy will require “mandatory parental notification” in some form when a student reaches out to a teacher or staff member with concerns/questions about his/her/their gender identity. Forced “outing” to parents not only puts the community at higher risk, but members of the community will lose the opportunity to discuss their gender issues with teachers and other school staff, who are sometimes the only people they can turn to with questions and for support of their decisions.

The policy is substantially the same as the policy passed in Manalapan, Middletown and Marlboro this past week which resulted in the filing of lawsuits and administrative proceedings by the Attorney General’s office. We encourage the Attorney General to file suit against this school district if the policy is passed.

While this is clearly a local issue, we cannot ignore the irony of the fact that Colts Neck has chosen June 28th for its discriminatory vote. June 28th is the anniversary of the “Stonewall Uprising” which marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

These hard fought for rights are now being taken away in our state, one school district at a time.

The New Jersey Public Education Coalition continues to condemn Board actions which are clearly discriminatory against an already marginalized community of students. Instead of providing a safe and welcoming school space for “all” students, we believe these actions are designed to ostracize LGBTQIA+ students and send a message that they are not welcome in the school community.

The Board of Education meeting will take place at 7:00 PM at the Conover Road Primary School, 56 Conover Rd, Colts Neck, NJ.