NJ Dem AG sues 3 school districts over parental rights policies.

Schools that inform parents of their child’s changing gender identity pose ‘serious mental health risks,’ Matt Platkin argues

New Jersey’s Democratic attorney general is taking legal action against three school districts over policies that require teachers to notify parents if their child publicly changes their gender identity.

The state’s liberal attorney general, Matt Platkin, has filed lawsuits against Middletown, Marlboro, and Manalapan school districts after their boards passed policies that require teachers to inform parents if their child chooses to exhibit a change in their gender identity. This includes notifying parents if their child chooses a different name, or wishes to use a different bathroom or locker room based on their gender identity.

These lawsuits are part of Platkin’s ongoing battle against parental rights policies, which have become a contentious issue during the coronavirus pandemic due to disagreements over school closures, curricula, and other policies. In May, the Democrat sued another local school district, Hanover Township, after its board members implemented a similar policy. New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, supported the lawsuit, stating that the policy effectively forces “staff to ‘out’ LGBTQ+ students to their parents.”

Platkin echoed Murphy’s concerns in the lawsuits filed against Middletown, Marlboro, and Manalapan, arguing that these policies put transgender and gender non-conforming students at risk of “serious mental health risks” and physical harm.

The number of students in New Jersey public schools identifying as “non-binary” has significantly increased in recent years. Enrollment figures from the New Jersey Department of Education show that during the 2019-2020 school year, only 16 students identified as “non-binary.” However, by the 2022-2023 school year, this number had skyrocketed to 675 students, representing a more than 4,000 percent increase. Among these students, 41 are in elementary school.

While the new policies in Middletown, Marlboro, Manalapan, and Hanover do provide exceptions if disclosing a student’s gender transition would cause physical or mental harm, Platkin argues that these policies unfairly target LGBTQ students and put them in danger.

Manalapan’s school district has chosen not to comment, while Marlboro indicated that it is preparing an official statement through its attorney. Middletown’s district did not respond to a request for comment.

Following last month’s lawsuit, the Hanover Township school district released a statement accusing Platkin of misrepresenting their “common-sense policy,” which they plan to vigorously defend.

“Simply put, Board Policy 8463 merely requires that staff members ‘say something to the parents and appropriate school administrators’ if they ‘see something that could adversely affect the social/emotional well-being of a child,'” the district’s board said. “The Hanover Township Board of Education believes that parents need to be fully informed of all material issues that could impact their children so that they—as parents—can provide the proper care and support for their children.”

Charles Hilu, Thomas McKenna, and Ryan Nevin contributed to this report.