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Parents press Medford Lakes board to keep peanut/tree‑nut ban and sustain support for transgender students
Summary
Multiple parents and residents used the Sept. 20 public‑comment period to urge the Medford Lakes Board of Education to retain a peanut/tree‑nut ban and to strengthen DEI supports, including enforcement of transgender policy and facility updates; speakers also raised safety, curriculum and accessibility concerns.
Several parents and residents addressed the Medford Lakes Board of Education during public comment on Sept. 20, urging the district to maintain a peanut/tree‑nut ban, to enforce and expand supports under its transgender policy, and to be more transparent about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Parent speaker Mrs. Lehman said lifting the cafeteria peanut/tree‑nut ban would endanger her son Charlie, who has a severe allergy, and that Charlie may not recognize symptoms. “Peanut/Tree Nut ban lifting is dangerous,” she said, urging the board to preserve protections. Other parents, including Mrs. Pandolfo and Mrs. Eustace, also urged the board to keep the ban and to provide nutritional counseling for families.
Several speakers praised the district’s DEI work and asked for broader engagement. Mrs. Yarnal thanked the district for holding a Town Hall but said she had been disappointed by the tone of some parent remarks there and asked whether the district has a DEI committee and what training and activities it carries out. Mrs. Beyer asked the district to go beyond basic compliance, to update bathrooms and procedures and to be transparent about DEI programming; she offered to help craft solutions. Mr. Fest said rhetoric directed at transgender students was misplaced and urged the community to learn about transgender youth so all students feel welcome.
Other commenters raised adjacent concerns. Mrs. Fest urged more supervision of the boys’ bathroom, citing bullying and poor upkeep; Mrs. McNeil asked the board how administrators and teachers are being held accountable for curriculum and standardized‑testing gaps; and Mrs. Kornafel requested moving graduation indoors to accommodate elderly or disabled family members.
Why it matters: The public comment record shows strong parental interest in both safety‑related policies (food‑allergy protections, bathroom supervision) and the district’s approach to inclusion and transgender student supports. None of the comments recorded a formal board decision; the remarks were taken under advisement for later investigation, discussion or action, per the district’s public‑comment procedures.
What’s next: The board heard the comments during the public‑comment portion of the meeting and later entered an executive session for privacy, bargaining and personnel matters. The board did not vote on changing the peanut/tree‑nut policy or on DEI procedures during this meeting.
