Edison schools drop transgender protections

The Edison Board of Education voted to repeal Policy 5756, a state guidance aimed at protecting transgender and gender-nonconforming students, last week. In a 6-3 vote, the board abolished the policy, which allows district schools to use students’ preferred name and pronouns without having to notify their parents.

This vote occurred during a public board meeting at Edison High School after over 30 people — including parents, clinicians, educators and residents of neighboring New Jersey towns — gave testimony on the issue. 

This is the second time the policy has come under scrutiny in Edison. As reported by Central Desi, the policy was up for repeal in October 2024 but remained in place after advocacy by local LGBTQ+ organizations convinced some board members to vote in its favor. 

Since then, the makeup of the board has changed. In November, current members Ralph Errico, Jingwi ‘Jerry’ Shi, and Ronak Patel were elected to the board, replacing Brian Rivera, Douglas Schneider and Biral Patel. 

In a statement shared during the meeting, Board President Shi said repealing the policy “allows educators the flexibility to handle each situation thoughtfully, on a case-by-case basis.”

Shi said trans and LGBTQ+ students would still be protected under existing district policies and federal law.

In response, some in attendance questioned the point of repealing Policy 5756 at all.

“I know you talked about the fact that repealing the policy does not absolve the school of all the responsibilities you still have to protect a student. Then why repeal the policy?” said Aruna Rao, Edison resident and founder of the advocacy group Desi Rainbow.

Rao said the policy helps educators create a safe environment for trans students and that repeal would “push them out into the unknown.”

Board members elected on repeal platform

Speaking to Central Desi after learning the result of the vote, Rao said it seemed that board members were already set on repealing the policy regardless of what they heard at the meeting.

Rao and other community activists believe that some of the board’s newly elected members had run on a platform of upholding “parental rights,” and repealing Policy 5756 was something they had long planned to do.

Sona Baker, an Edison resident and parent in favor of the policy, also told Central Desi that board members had promised to repeal it while running for their seats in November.

“Apparently some of them ran on this platform that they were going to repeal this policy,” she said, “so now they are trying to make good on that campaign promise.”

Newly elected board member Ronak Patel cited a campaign promise of “parental rights” as the main principle behind his vote to repeal the policy. 

“Tonight, I voted yes to repeal Policy 5756 because I made a promise to uphold parental rights,” Patel stated at the meeting. “I believe parents deserve to be active, informed partners in their children’s lives — that belief guided my vote.”

Breakdown of voting on motion to abolish Policy 5756

Baker said some board members have used misinformation regarding the policy to generate fear within the Edison community.

“In conversations with members sitting up there right now, I have heard some of you continue to use offensive language and incorrect language when referring to trans individuals,” she said at the meeting.

She also pointed out an incident during the meeting when the board allowed another speaker to continuously misgender a trans student who had spoken earlier in the night and told booing audience members to remain silent.

“This was a clear indication of why this policy exists and also showcases that the six members of the board [who voted to repeal] do not actually care about all students, only those who agree with their ideologies,” she said.

Desi perspectives on the policy

Baker said the policy’s repeal is especially concerning to her as an Indian American. Approximately half of Edison’s population is Asian, with a large portion of it Indian. 

Baker told Central Desi she was disappointed to see that most of the board members who voted to repeal the policy were part of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

“I love being Indian American and living in a community with a large AAPI population, and I was so ashamed that this seemed to be a very intentional split in votes among the board, and it absolutely does not represent how I identify with my Asian identity,” she said.

Rao said some South Asian parents in Edison may have felt worried that the policy would prevent them from accessing information about their children’s lives.

“I just spoke to someone this morning — an Edison parent who is South Asian — and basically what she told me was people are just scared and angry at what they think is denial of their own ability to control their children,” she told Central Desi.

A Metuchen resident who identified herself as Vidhi said at the meeting that she has also noticed that sentiment among Desis.

“I am also an Asian parent and I understand, like many Asian parents, we want to know what’s going on with our kids,” she stated at the meeting. “But I ask you to consider what true protection looks like. Sometimes it means giving your child the space to come to you when they are ready. That’s what Policy 5756 allows.”

Broader impact of repeal

Among the many speakers at the board meeting was A Pollicino, a Mercer County resident who had traveled up to Edison to speak out against the policy’s repeal. 

“I don't expect [the board] to understand us, but I would have hoped after all the testimony they would have led with their hearts instead of politics and misguided prejudice,” they told Central Desi.

With the policy now abolished in Edison, Pollicino fears trans students may lose access to what makes an identity-safe school environment, including trusted adults, friendships with classmates and feeling seen for who they are. 

Prior to its repeal, Policy 5756 was in place in Edison for approximately five years. It had first been implemented in 2019 after it passed two rounds of voting as required by the Board of Education.

At the time, the policy did not attract much attention and was adopted along with a slate of other district policies. 

Current board members Shi, Ralph Errico and Shannon Peng served on the board at the time and all voted “yes” to the policy’s enactment. At Tuesday's meeting, all three voted to repeal. They did not respond to Central Desi’s questions regarding this change.

Rao said she believes that people's hesitation toward the policy was rooted in misinformation and plans to address it through her advocacy work.

“Our plan as a coalition right now is to really focus on community engagement [and] community education to try and get basic facts across,” she said.

Vidhi told Central Desi that while the policy’s repeal is discouraging, continuing to discuss issues affecting the trans community will ensure progress.

“I don't think the repeal is going to stop anyone,” she said. “There's still plenty of work to be done.”

Astha Lakhankar is a 2024-25 reporting fellow at Central Desi. She is a recent graduate of Rutgers University, where she worked as managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Daily Targum.

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