Rodrigo Torrejon

Staff Writer, @rod_torrejon

HACKENSACK — The Board of Education adopted its transgender students policy Tuesday, which gives students rights related to their gender.

The district’s policy is a comprehensive plan that includes rules for bathroom use for transgender students, pronouns to use when referring to transgender students, and definitions of terms such as "gender nonconforming" and "gender expression.”

"You have a teenager or a young adult going through what has to be a very confusing and difficult time," board President Jason Nunnermacker said. "I think we have to put measures in place that give them a support system."

High school students from Maywood, Rochelle Park and South Hackensack will also be covered by the policy when they attend the city high school.

According to an investigation by The Record, 47 North Jersey school districts have similar policies in place. The city school district was one of more than 15 in North Jersey that do not have a policy that lays out transgender students' rights.

In a closed meeting in November, Aaron Potenza, director of programs at Garden State Equality, a civil rights organization that advocates for the LGBT community, suggested to the board that it add provisions to speak with students before parental notification.

Deciding when and if it is necessary to notify parents is often a point of contention when drafting these policies. It is a concern for many transgender students who fear being disowned, abandoned or rejected by family. Board of Education member Johanna Calle, who has spearheaded the push for the policy, also cited high suicide rates among the transgender community.

Hackensack’s policy states that school staff is to work with the students to “assess the degree to which, if any, parents/guardians” will be involved in the process. In other words, notification rests in the hands of the students.

The policy also includes a Gender Support Plan and Gender Transition Plan, two documents that lay out detailed steps for students, staff and parents and guardians if they are involved. Each document is meant to be filled out by students and school staff as a means to account for, support and counsel transgender students as well as to plan for their transition.

Much like the parental notification provision, the forms allow students full control over their gender identity and gender expression.

“Gender identification determination lies with the students, except for the students that are too young to advocate for themselves,” Potenza said last month.

Only around 15 people were in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, with only two members of the public speaking. Hackensack resident Peter Oneglia, who spoke against the policy last month, once again vocalized opposition. He asked that the board table the policy and not give in to "special interests."

"The top-heavy bureaucracy and the social engineering that has come down from there, it’s going to do a disservice to all of your students," Oneglia said. "The transgender, the transitioning students, like three-quarters of them go back to the original sex. They're going through puberty. It's not a finite thing."

Hackensack High School teacher Anthony Zisa, a former adviser for the school's Gay Straight Alliance, thanked the board for its decision.

"I don’t think that you can truly understand what a moment like this, where you're showing them that you care about them and have their best interests at heart, can do," Zisa said.

With its policy approved, Hackensack is the 11th district that does not automatically contact parents about a student's gender identity at school. The majority of these districts say they will not contact a student's parent without consent.

Pascack Valley was one of the 10 districts that had initially provided privacy for transgender students, even from parents. The school board amended its policy early last month to include parents. Now, Pascack Valley's transgender policy states that a student would have access to his or her desired restrooms and locker rooms generally after a consultation with the child's parent.

As the meeting came to a close, board members spoke of the process behind the policy and the importance of its adoption. Board member Daniel Carola said he was proud of how far the community had come, collectively.

Carola, who went to Hackensack High School with Zisa, recalled a time as a student when the Gay Straight Alliance was renamed Prism due to the school administration's wanting to avoid having "gay" in the organization's title. He also recalled a meeting last year where, as a board member, he got to listen to students talk about having attended the Pride Parade in New York.

"We have to kind of remember that we don’t know what it’s like, even when we think we might," Carola said. "It's looking out with compassion for all members of community that led us to the decision. Its not a journey that I can speak to, but its certainly something that I’m not going to forget."

Email: torrejon@northjersey.com