Woodbridge board hears calls for parental bill of rights and scrutiny of DEI, policy 5756

At its Feb. 19 meeting, the Woodbridge Township Board of Education heard multiple public comments urging the board to adopt a parental bill of rights and asking for clearer accountability on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) spending and district Policy 5756.

Jerrel Maglio of the Dolores Turco Foundation told the board he would “urge you to consider a bill of parental rights, for easy access for families that consists of the federal, state, and local laws that are already guaranteed to parents” and said such a document would improve transparency on curriculum and health services. Maglio referenced a recent Supreme Court decision and a Department of Health and Human Services review while arguing that parents should have clearer access to information about what their children are being taught and what health services are provided.

Paul Lund, a resident from the Hope Lawn section, asked the board whether Woodbridge would consider adopting a parental-rights declaration similar to Colts Neck’s and pressed for measurable results from DEI-related spending: “What did DEI add that wasn't already being done?” Lund also asked how much of the district budget is dedicated to DEI and said he was asking for an accounting to determine whether the initiative produced measurable improvements.

Lund raised Policy 5756 and said he was concerned the policy “put certain students on that pathway towards social transitioning without parental notification.” The board did not take formal action on those requests during the meeting.

A board member responding to public comments said the district does not steer students toward medical interventions and that administrators seek to involve parents when students’ well-being is at risk: “That is not what we do. That has never been what we do.” The member also defended efforts to provide equity and access, saying renaming programs does not mean they are harmful and that equity is intended to address differences in student needs.

The board did not schedule a vote on a parental bill of rights or make changes to Policy 5756 at this meeting; several speakers were directed to the district for records requests or further administrative follow-up if they wanted budget line-item detail.

What happens next: speakers were told how to request budget details through the business office; the board did not set a new calendar date to consider a parental-rights declaration during this session.