We, the undersigned parents, taxpayers, and concerned residents of the School District of the Chathams, formally petition the Board of Education to immediately address the legal and ethical conflicts regarding Policy 5756. As the legal landscape shift across the United States and within New Jersey, our district must move from "guidance-based" policies to those that uphold the U.S. Constitution and protect the privacy of all students.

 
STATEMENT OF CONCERN
The current iteration of Policy 5756 rests on a fragile legal foundation that is being dismantled by federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. By maintaining this policy, the District is not only infringing upon the fundamental rights of parents but is also inviting significant legal liability.

1. Infringement of Parental Rights
Recent judicial rulings, including the Supreme Court’s action on March 2, 2026, have signaled a definitive shift against state-level policies that mandate secrecy between schools and parents. Parents have a constitutional right to be the primary directors of their children’s upbringing and mental health.

2. Restoration of Title IX Protections
With the 2025 federal vacatur of the 2024 Title IX revisions, the law has returned to the 2020 standards. These standards protect student privacy based on biological sex. Our current policy, which grants access to intimate spaces (bathrooms and locker rooms) based on "asserted identity," is now at odds with the current federal legal framework.

3. Competitive Equity in Athletics
Ignoring the physiological differences inherent in biological sex undermines the safety and opportunities of female athletes. We seek alignment with emerging standards, such as those proposed in the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, to ensure a level playing field for all girls in the Chathams.

4. Following Local Precedent
Neighboring districts—including Edison, Colts Neck, and Hanover Township—have already recognized that New Jersey’s "guidance" is not a mandate. They have exercised their local authority to repeal or amend Policy 5756 to better serve their communities.

 
OUR DEMANDS
We urge the Board of Education to take the following three actions immediately:

SUSPEND POLICY 5756: End the "secrecy clause" and return to a policy of full transparency, ensuring parents are notified regarding significant changes in their child’s social or psychological status at school.

RESTORE PRIVACY IN FACILITIES: Return to sex-segregated bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex. Provide single-user, neutral options as the primary accommodation for those seeking additional privacy, rather than displacing biological female students.

PROTECT FEMALE SPORTS: Align athletic policies with biological reality to ensure the safety, fairness, and competitive integrity of female sports programs.
 
CONCLUSION
The School District of the Chathams should be a leader in constitutional compliance and parental partnership. We request that the Board place a formal review and vote regarding the repeal of Policy 5756 on the agenda for the next public meeting.

Our students deserve privacy, our athletes deserve fairness, and our parents deserve the truth.