The Tyranny of the Minority Part 1

-Steve Greguske

This article is the first of several articles that will take you on a journey into an environment where kindness and critical thinking are discouraged.  The journey begins by googling the following phrase:

New Jersey Department of Education Transgender Guidance for Schools

You will find a seven-page PDF document with the stated purpose to “…create an inclusive environment in which transgender and gender nonconforming students feels safe and supported…”.

To achieve an inclusive environment, the Department of Education directs the following (under section 2. Student-Centered Approach):

A school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required. Further, a student need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements to have his or her gender identity recognized and respected by the district, school or school personnel. Nor is a legal or court-ordered name change required. There is no affirmative duty for any school district personnel to notify a student’s parent or guardian of the student’s gender identity or expression.

 

Note the absence of any critical thinking in this Guidance.   Any student on any day can claim a gender identity and the school is required to unquestioningly follow along.  In addition, the Department of Education has now broken the trust between school districts and parents by asking districts to keep secrets from the parents.  

The Guidance continues:

There may be instances where a parent or guardian 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. A parent or guardian may object to the minor student’s name change request. School districts should consult their board attorney regarding the minor student’s civil rights and protections under the NJLAD. Staff should continue to refer to the student in accordance with the student’s chosen name and pronoun at school and may consider providing resource information regarding family counseling and support services outside of the school district. School districts should be mindful of disputes between minor students and parent/guardians concerning the student’s gender identity or expression. Many support resources are available through advocacy groups and resources from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and New Jersey Department of Education’s “Child Abuse, Neglect, and Missing Children” webpage. One of the most important factors in ensuring a safe and supportive environment for transgender students is communication between the school/district and student. School district personnel should have an open, but confidential discussion with the student to ascertain the student’s preference on matters such as chosen name, chosen pronoun to use, and parental communications. 

Again, critical thinking is set aside.  Parents who dare to ask their own child about this topic are now on notice requiring the school district to consider equating them with child abuse and neglect.  The Department of Education is very much using an Orwellian approach in directing school districts in a manner undermining parental rights, free speech rights and religious rights.  Note that the Department of Education directs the school district (and presumably the student) to turn to advocacy groups for support—an approach that is closer to the concept of grooming than to helping a child understand their feelings and concerns—while keeping everything hidden from parents.  

The guidance continues:

• School districts shall ensure that a transgender student is addressed at school by the name and pronoun chosen by the student, regardless of whether a legal name change or change in official school records has occurred. 
• School districts shall issue school documentation for a transgender student, such as student identification cards, in the name chosen by the student. 
• A transgender student shall be allowed to dress in accordance with the student’s gender identity. 

School districts should 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, school districts should inform the student that the transgender status may be revealed due to other students’ discussions at home. The school district should work with the transgender student to ensure awareness of activities and events that may inadvertently disclose the transgender student’s status.

Critical thinking is now totally abandoned as the Guidance directs the school district to allow any style of dress while the district works to conceal the student’s transgender status.  It probably is a surprise to the Guidance authors that the moment ‘Tommy’ shows up in a dress, the whole school will know.  In addition, teachers and presumably other students will now be subject to HIB violations if they don’t play along with the pronoun of the day.  Now we can see that diversity, equity and inclusion can translate into secrecy, deception and coercion.

Is our school district a participant in this Guidance?   Just journey to the school website and look up Policy 5756 Transgender Students.    

Here are the paragraphs in the “Student-Centered Approach” section of the policy:

The school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required. 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 addition, a legal or court-ordered name change is not required. 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. 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 and may consider providing resource information regarding family counseling and support services outside of the school district. School districts should be mindful of disputes between minor students and parents concerning the student’s gender identity or expression. Many support resources are available through advocacy groups and resources from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and New Jersey Department of Education’s “Child Abuse, Neglect, and Missing Children” webpage.

Sound familiar?

It must be incredibly difficult for teachers in this environment.  Fixing this in a manner that is caring and considerate to all should be a top priority for our State Government.

There’s more. 

Part 2 is in progress.

Transgender Student Guidance for School Districts

BHPSNJ Policy 5756

All Articles Related to DEI