A judge based in New Jersey has temporarily prohibited three school districts from enacting policies that alert parents when their child “transitions” into a different gender.
According to NJ.com, the Middletown Township, Marlboro Township, and Manalapan-Englishtown school districts enacted policies in June 2023 to notify parents when students seek to change their names, be called by certain pronouns, or request other alternatives related to gender.
The outlet reported that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a lawsuit against the three school districts over their decisions to alert parents if their child requests any change relating to gender.
“As the Superior Court correctly recognized, the State is ‘not targeting parental rights,’” Platkin said in a press release. “Indeed, the State has never sought and never will seek a ‘ban’ on parental notification. All our lawsuits seek to do is to reinstate the same policies these districts found acceptable with little protest for years.”
“Put simply, we can both keep parents informed about their children’s development and protect the civil rights of our most vulnerable students. Our laws require nothing less.” Platkin added.
Statement from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Preliminary Injunction Prohibiting Discriminatory School District Policies. pic.twitter.com/d2TxHJzg6K
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) August 19, 2023
As reported by the Daily Caller, New Jersey Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman, sided with Platkin, granting a preliminary injunction against the school districts’ policies, thereby preventing their policies from taking effect.
“The state has demonstrated a reasonable probability of success on its claim that the Amended Policies, if implemented, will have a disparate impact on transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary youth,” Bauman, according to NJ.com.
Marlboro school board’s attorney, Marc Zitomer, expressed his thoughts on Bauman’s ruling, saying that he’s now exploring different avenues for appeal.
“We are disappointed that the Court granted the State’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking our implementation of the amended policy until the matter is fully resolved at the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights – a process that could take years,” Zitomer said.
The three New Jersey school districts are not alone in their attempts to notify parents when a child seeks to “change their gender.” The Murrieta Valley School Board in California recently enacted a policy notifying parents if their child tries to “transition” genders.
