Jersey City BOE 2015

Jersey City Board of Education President Vidya Gangadin on Jan. 6, 2015. Neil Barris | The Jersey Journal

(Jersey Journal file photo)

JERSEY CITY -- Jersey City's public-school district may become the latest in the state to adopt a policy aimed at specifying the rights of its transgender students.

A measure up for initial approval at Thursday's school board meeting would require the 28,000-student district to take a student's gender identity into consideration in a number of instances, including when deciding which locker rooms and restrooms a student may enter and the names and pronouns school staff must use when addressing students.

About two dozen school districts in New Jersey, including in Pequannock, Jackson and Ocean Township, have adopted similar policies, which came amid a nationwide debate over the transgender community and access to restrooms.

A controversial North Carolina law passed in March quashed local LGBT rights ordinances and restricted transgender people's access to restrooms. Target faced a backlash when it announced in April a transgender-friendly restroom policy.

"It's in line with the board's commitment to equality, and I don't foresee any disagreements," Board of Education President Vidya Gangadin told The Jersey Journal.

The Obama administration on May 13 issued a directive saying schools must provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities. Officials from 11 states filed a lawsuit challenging the move, saying the directive runs "roughshod over common-sense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights."

The measure up for approval on Thursday would require the district to issue student ID cards in the name that reflects the student's gender identity; require school staff to address students by the names and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, even if the students have not obtained court-approved name changes; and allow students to dress in accordance with their gender identity.

The policy would also ban the district from forcing students to use restrooms or locker rooms that conflict with their gender identity. It would permit school principals to work with students' parents to evaluate the use of restrooms and locker rooms by transgender students, taking into consideration the student's preference and age and "maximizing social integration" of the student.

The measure, if adopted by the school board, would allow school officials to provide use of a private area or separate changing schedule.

It's not clear yet whether the measure will face any local opposition. A similar proposal planned for Toms River schools was put on hold after two evangelical Christians spearheaded a petition drive to stop it.

In 2011, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that the vast majority of LGBT students in New Jersey regularly heard negative remarks about gender expression. About nine in 10 students regularly heard comments about students not acting feminine or masculine enough, the survey found.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.