New Jersey school district challenged over "parental notification" policy amid concerns it may target LGBTQ+ students
CBSN
A New Jersey school district is facing a civil rights complaint from the state's attorney general after board of education representatives voted to instate a "parental notification" policy that the state says could target LGBTQ+ students.
The policy, referred to as board policy 8463 or "Parental Notification of Material Circumstances" in a letter from Hanover Township Public Schools, was voted on in a board meeting on Tuesday. Six of the nine board members were in attendance; four members voted to enact the policy. There were only two public comments, one against the policy and one in support of it, before the vote.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced in a news release that he was filing a Division of Civil Rights complaint seeking to block the policy, saying the requirements to notify parents about a student's sexuality or gender identity were discriminatory and in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The attorney general and the Division on Civil Rights also filed an emergency court motion requesting a preliminary injunction and temporary restraints to stop the policy from going into effect while the challenge remains pending.
