Edison school board votes in first reading to abolish Policy 5756 after hours of public comment

The Edison Township Board of Education voted in a first-reading motion on Tuesday to abolish Policy 5756, the district’s guidance on student gender identity and privacy, after more than three hours of public comment that divided parents, students, teachers and advocates.

The motion to abolish carried on a roll-call vote: Yes — Ralph Ero, Ronak Patel, Anja Patel, Miss Pang, Vichel Patel and President She; No — Mr. Lugo, Joe Romano and Miss White. Board members described the vote as the first reading; several said they expect the item to return with a replacement policy before a final decision.

The vote capped an often emotional public-comment period in which speakers for and against the policy argued over whether it protects vulnerable students or improperly excludes parents from important information. ‘‘If a student cannot trust the school faculty and administration to call them by the name they would like to use without their parents being notified, how can they be…