Students learn about proposed transgender policy at GSA meeting

About 50 students attended the Gay Straight Alliance meeting this past Friday in room 237, which addressed the proposed transgender policy at the school.

A transgender senior at Pascack Valley, Charlie Leppert, was there to answer questions.

The new proposed transgender policy was first discussed in depth at a parent information meeting on Tuesday, March 29. More information about this meeting can be found here. The main point of contention during the Q&A portion of the meeting was that the new policy, if put in place, would allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and/or locker rooms of their indicated genders.

“There were many people (at the parent meeting) who were supportive and there were definitely a handful of people who weren’t,” Mr. Jeff Jasper, a history teacher at PV as well as the head of the GSA, said.

Jasper continued by saying that the GSA meeting was held due to the “misinformation out there” that he felt the student body should be aware of.

Leppert answered student questions, starting first by defining terms that may confuse people such as “the difference between gender and sex” and “cisgender”.

When asked about the policy, Leppert maintained that “it balances the right of the student with the safety of all students.”

They, which is Leppert’s preferred pronoun, continued by saying the policy would not, in their opinion, allow for misuse, saying that exposing private body parts “is going to remain inappropriate.”

Students were concerned about whether or not transgender students at our school had contributed in any way to the making of this policy, to which Leppert revealed that Rossig had reached out to them as well as some other transgender student in the school when the policy was first being made.

Students at the GSA meeting, wanting to show support for their classmates, asked what they could do to help. Leppert said that it would be a good idea for students to go to the Board of Education meetings to show support and learn more about the policy.

“That kind of support is really appreciated,” Leppert said.