If you have a child who is a student at Sussex-Wantage Regional you should be concerned, very concerned. If you have a child attending any school, you probably should also be very concerned. If you believe in America, you should be extremely concerned.
At their Jan. 29 meeting the Sussex-Wantage Board of Education voted 7-2 to adopt its new Policy Guide for Transgender Students, which reads in part:
"The school district shall honor and recognize a student's asserted gender identity, and shall not require any documentation or evidence in any form, including diagnosis, treatment, or legal name change."
And: "A school's obligation to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity requires schools to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities, even in circumstances in which other students, parents, or community members raise objections or concerns."
Comment: Obviously, under this Policy the other students, the parents and the community members all have no rights.
And: "The school district shall keep confidential a current, new, or prospective student's transgender status. Schools should address the student using a chosen name and the student' s birth name should be kept confidential by school and school staff members."
And: "Generally students may have access to the restroom or locker room that corresponds to the gender identity or expression that they consistently assert at school and no student shall be forced to accept an accommodation with which he/she disagrees."
And "As a general rule, in any other circumstances where students are separated by gender in school activities (e.g. overnight field trips), students may be permitted to participate in accordance with the gender identity or expression consistently asserted at school."
Based on this new policy the school officials and/or employees will be required to keep information concerning a student confidential from the student' s parents and/or legal guardian.
Based on this new policy it would appear that male students would be allowed to use the girls' restrooms and locker rooms and to sleep with the girls on overnight field trips. And vice versa.
Since when does a school official, or employee, have the right to usurp the student's parents', or legal guardians', rights and authority?
Since when is a student, from what 5-14 years old, considered capable of making a legal decision that will affect the rest of their life, and their family? Oh I forgot, the decision will be made in conjunction with a school official or employee.
This Policy reads as if it was taken straight out of one of the communists' playbooks: "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and the "Rules For Radicals" by Saul Alinsky.
First: Subvert the children.
Second: Destroy the families.
Third: Destroy all religions.
Fourth: Destroy our Constitution and our government.
It is interesting to note that not even one parent, or legal guardian, attended this Board meeting to speak out against the adoption of this policy. Therefore I am left to wonder, did the Board inform the parents, the legal guardians, and the residents of both Sussex Borough and Wantage Township that this policy was up for adoption and about the extremely significant legal and moral ramifications the adoption of this policy would have on their families and on our communities? Of course not!
I would hope that the parents and legal guardians will join together and bring a lawsuit against the S-W Regional Board of Education, and against each of the seven individual board members who voted to adopt this policy. The two Board Member who stood up for our American rights and morals by voting against this policy were Kenneth Nuss and Dorothy Witte. Thank You.
Obviously, us voters must replace the seven Board Members who voted to adopt this policy with new Board Members who will respect our American rights and morals.
Bill Gettler
Wantage