Matthew J. Platkin, New Jersey’s attorney general, and Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, recently announced that the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and the NJDOE have issued a joint statement highlighting the anti-bias initiatives, policies and curricula that school districts have adopted amid a rising tide of hate. The letter is meant to offer guidance to students, parents, schools, school boards and educators.
“In New Jersey, the law is clear,” their letter states. “The (Law Against Discrimination) prohibits schools from adopting policies or practices that discriminate against students or staff based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or other protected characteristics, whether or not motivated by discriminatory intent.”