Nj doe lgbtq

The commission's attempts support Lesbian, Male lover, Bisexual, Transgender, Lgbtq+, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) youth and secure New Jersey schools provide a sound, supportive, and equitable learning environment for all students by addressing the many challenges that sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth encounter in schools. The Commission shall back the New Jersey Department of Education’s efforts to advance LGBTQIA+ equity in schools through systems review, professional knowledge, data analysis, recommendations and support for Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and strategic partnerships across educational and community spaces.

The Commission will connect quarterly, and meetings are in person and open to the public. The scheduled meetings will begin at 10AM, held at 100 River View Plaza, in the 1st Floor Conference Room (CR1A).  

• September 30, 2024 (September Agenda | Minutes)
• December 2, 2024 (December Agenda | Minutes)
• February 24, 2025 (February Agenda | Minutes)
• May 5, 2025 (May Agenda | Minutes)
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  On January 31, 2019, Governor Murphy signed P.L. 2019, c.6 into law.  This legislation requires boards of education to include direction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle academy and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Knowledge Standards.

  The requirements of the law will apply starting with the 2020-2021 educational facility year. In response, the NJ Department of Knowledge convened a working collective to begin to advance resources for school districts to leverage as they develop their curricula.   The working group met for the first occasion on Monday August 19th.  A diverse group of educators, advocates and stakeholders convened for several hours to help identify not only appropriate resources, but potential challenges that districts might face, as they develop their curricula and create policies and procedures to comply with this new law.

  The community is expected to encounter again as it continues to fulfill its mission of ensuring that every student in a Modern Jersey public school is able to see them
  
  

  Kate Okeson makes LGBTQIA+ history!

  By Amy Moran, Ph. D. (she/her) 

  Kate Okeson, my co-writer for the Rainbow Connection column, has been appointed the executive director of the new Advisory Commission on Advancing LGBTQIA+ Youth Equity and Inclusion in Schools with the Fresh Jersey Department of Education. This groundbreaking commission is the first of its kind in the nation and will provide a model for other states that endeavor to follow New Jersey’s lead—with Okeson at the helm—in helping schools be authentically safer spaces for all students. 

  Okeson’s appointment to the commission is no surprise to those who know her and the work she’s done over the last several decades. Art educator and local union president of the Rumson-Fair Haven Schools Employees Association from 2008-24, Okeson is a co-founder of Build It Better for Youth (MIB4Y): the Monmouth County Consortium for LGBTQ Youth which, among other things, partnered with Garden State Equality to advance the cause of LGBT-inclusive curricula in Unused Jersey public schools. 

  Birth of an organizer 

  Raised in rural Warren County, Okeson saw her father, David, creatively and collaboratively organiz

  An Actestablishing the Advisory Commission on Advancing LGBTQIA+ Youth Equity and Inclusion in Schools and supplementing chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. 

   

  Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

   

       1.    The Legislature finds and declares that: 

       a.     Students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual , queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual, or who otherwise are not heterosexual or cisgender (“LGBTQIA+”) face distinct challenges at school, including bullying, discrimination, and lack of access to supportive resources.

  b.    National data shows that LGBTQIA+ students tackle higher rates of bullying and harassment at institution, are suspended nationwide at a higher rate, and are four times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their non-LGBTQIA+ peers.

       c.     These challenges have a profound impact on LGBTQIA+ students’ mental health, academic performance, and overall wellbeing.

       d.    Appreciate all students, LGBTQIA+ students have the right to a safe, supportive study environment that is free from discrimination and harassment, and that provides identical access to educational opportunitie

  By Jordan Shead, Associate Counsel, NJPSA

  This past spring, a number of New Jersey institution districts implemented policies that mandate parental notification upon learning that a scholar identifies as transgender or is changing their gender identity or expression. Hanover Township was the first, followed by the districts of Middletown, Manalapan and Marlboro. The Hanover and Marlboro policies require parental notification upon learning of a child’s change in Gay status, while the Middletown and Manalapan policies call for parental notification when a child requests a common accommodation relating to a change in gender self. For all four policies, the only exception is if the district’s staff members have reason to trust notification could cause the parent or guardian to harm the child.

  This represents a marked change from the previous policies that followed the NJDOE Guidance that school staff are to maintain confidentiality with students about their gender identity and may not disclose such information except as allowed by regulation. The Guidance advises schools to work with students to create an appropriate plan to address a student’s transgender or transitioning status.