NJ Spotlight News | NJ Spotlight News: September 6, 2023 | Season 2023

>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," public pushback at the state education meeting.

Parents protest the newly adopted equity code.

>> I'm concerned somewhat about equity.

Equality and equity is somewhat interesting thing because as we know from past experience, when we tried to do a quality, standards got lower.

>> plus, Hanover Township officials are back in court over the district's controversial polity, accused of outing LGBTQ students.

Also, after receiving backlash from advocates, Governor Murphy weighs in on President Biden's plan to move asylum-seekers from New York to Atlantic City's airport.

>> If the federal government solves the crisis, Congress and the administration, we would not be having this conversation.

>> and election season kickoff.

State Republicans hoping to take control of at least one house in the legislature for the first time in two decades.

>> There has kind of been a flip.

It seems like in the past, Republicans were always talking about pocketbook issues.

This time around, they are talking about some more social issues.

>> "NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

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>> From NJPBS, this is "NJ Spotlight News."

>> Good evening and thanks for joining us this Wednesday night.

Crowds of parents packed into a state Board of Education meeting today to sound off on an updated policy recently approved by the board that swapped out the word "equality" for "equity" this year.

It set off a firestorm from parental rights advocates and those who support it turning the issue into a political football at the start of this new school season, despite the fact that the code does not change what is being taught in local schools.

It was just one of several education topics that had tensions running high.

>> The last few years have seen a lot of passionate debate around education in the garden state, and today's Department of education meeting was no exception as parents on both sides of the aisle argued that in is about New Jersey's equity code in schools including the equity code and parental notifications for students seeking accommodations for gender identity.

>> They should not be harboring secrets.

I think a child who is born from a mother's womb should feel safe to share that information that, hey, mom, I have a little thing I would like to discuss with you ."

I really don't think it needs to go to a teacher or non-relative.

>> If a student is expressing something in school that they are not comfortable expressing at home, there is a reason for that, and I don't think outing them for parent -- adding them to parents who might be intelligent or abusive or otherwise unsupportive is going to be helpful for the student.

Quick see have a lot of well-intentioned parents here today who are believing this information and showing up in outrage, but the reality is that this has existed for nearly 20 years and has not been an issue.

>> They are familiar with the Bill of Rights and it has a lot to do with your freedom to bodily autonomy.

I'm hereupholds the foundation r equality in New Jersey.

>> more than 150 people signed up to speak today.

So many people wanted to talk there were three rooms full of people leading the Department of Education know how they feel.

>> This is another piece of this multilevel organized attack on kids and our families around the state.

>> This is like the old school conversion therapy.

>> Some of the issues raised were familiar once we have heard about for years.

Things like problems with accessibility, disrespect for certain professions within education, and the fallout from the lack of teachers.

>> It directly affects the quality of education.

Larger class sizes make it harder for teachers to provide individual education.

>> [INDISCERNIBLE] This results in inadequate pay, no benefits, and part-time positions.

We deserve better recognition.

>> We ask the state boards to ensure all public input, submitted in riding or delivered in person, is available and accessible on the state website.

If the stateboard were to ship to an online portal like the federal government, we could streamline the entire process.

>> today's hearing was the first of the year for the state Department of Education.

If the emotion of her today is any indication, expect -- if the emotion demonstrated today is any indication, expect a similar fireworks going forward.

>> A controversial policy requiring teachers to disclose a student's gender identity and sexual orientation to parents has become a heated legal battle.

The state Attorney General today argued their as the policy remains blocked for violating a state law earlier this summer.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan was in the court and has the latest.

>> Another court battle over parental notification, this one focused on if Hanover can implement its newly revised policy.

The school board's attorney argued it should because this one does not specifically single out LGBTQ students, but it does let school staff consider sexual orientation or gender identity among other reasons to notify parents if they think it has an adverse impact.

Outside the courtroom, parents rights proponents agree.

>> the school is an agent for parents who pay taxes.

They are supposed to serve us.

Any kind of stress or anxiety that our kid might be going through, you have to report it.

>> The Attorney General told the court parents are notified if it's determined a child is suffering.

It treats children equally across the board.

No child is singled out or picked on, but the state vigorously opposed Hanover's argument and its revised policy, calling it a repackaged version that is trying to clean up some of the language.

They fear it could cause LGBTQ kids irreparable harm because it still permits parental notification at least partly based on a protected characteristic, gender and sexuality.

>> The law against discrimination says it cannot be part of the determination at all .

Even if it is 10% of the reason why you do it or 5%.

>> And advocates of the Morris County judge drilled down on the revised policies trigger for notification.

Hanover's attorney argued it is not arbitrary.

You have to show adverse impact, but the judge shot back, adverse impact is in the body of the beholder.

>> it is totally subjective.

It means different things to different people.

There's the potential for abuse.

Quick to judge appeared especially concerned about the policy's mandatory reporting requirement.

Mankiewicz noted that teachers required to notify parents, advocate -- adding that the policy invites government interference in the relationship with parent and child.

He argued back It is only mandating it if the teacher believes the kid is adversely impacted.

If there's no adverse impact, there is no notification.

Again, parental rights advocates claimed -- >> we want the parents to know.

We hear so often that transgender students are depressed, suicidal.

Who better than parents to be on the frontlines to include them in the process to let them know what is going on?

>> But the state reported that argument, arguing it is trying to prevent harm to that small subset of students questioning their LGBTQ status at school and at home and don't want it reported.

The judge expressed concern for students, staff, and parents.

>> And I think the judge is leaning in the direction of recognizing the fact that any of those people could be harmed if the policy is allowed to go into effect.

>> Jersey's culture war over parental rights first caught fire in Hanover in May with its initial notification policy that outed LGBTQ kids based solely on gender ID and sexual orientation .

Jersey's division on civil rights suit is headed for a hearing.

The judge says he will have a decision within a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, the restraining order barring Hanover from implementing its revised policy remains in effect.

>> Long stalled transportation projects could finally get a boost across the state.

Governor Murphy today unveiling New Jersey is slated to receive more than $425 million from the Federal Highway Administration.

It is the largest part of money Ever Given to the state from that agency.

The announcement was made in Long Branch where some of the money will help pay for a pedestrian tunnel under the North Jersey Coast line train tracks, which will connect the downtown business district with local neighborhoods, but the good news comes as the governor faces criticism from immigration advocates, who argue he is being hypocritical in his stance against a recent White House proposal to move asylum-seekers in New York City to the Atlantic City International Airport.

Senior political correspondent David Cruz reports.

>> No state has done more for our immigrant population in the past six years then New Jersey.

>> Governor Murphy is still ticked off at the suggestion that he is somehow abandoning his sanctuary state bona fides by rejecting the idea of Atlantic City Airport being a site to house the overflow of migrants from New York City.

>> That's everything from drivers license folks regardless of status, it is in-state tuition and financial aid for our dreamers, it is the way we speak, the way we embrace.

It is the efforts that we put forward in accepting the Afghan refugees.

By the way, no state accepted more Afghan refugees then New Jersey, number one.

Number two, shame on Congress and shame on countless administrations for not having solved the immigration crisis.

>> amen, says everyone associated with immigration and immigration-adjacent policy.

In this political season, the rhetoric is hot and decidedly blunt, as expressed by officials, Democrats, and Republicans at a press conference last week.

>> Every time an American citizen has to go to the hospital and has to wait because there are non-American citizens in front of them, every time that they go to the grocery store, and we have to pay more because this inflation situation has been exacerbated by what is going on with all these people coming in, all the resources they need, all the money that they are spending.

>> The fact is that especially in South Jersey, that kind of talk resonates, especially at this time of year, but it is dangerous, not to mention insulting, safe immigrants rights advocates.

>> I am here today to talk about the importance -- importance -- of fighting against xenophobic, anti-immigrant rhetoric witnessed here last Friday morning.

Hate speech can lead to violence .

>> But in politics, heartaches are what hits with the basis, and the left wants to hear some full throated "si, sue puede" rhetoric, 2 -- hot takes are what hits with the bases.

>> We often hear from detractors that their families came here the right way, and we will hear people tell stories about coming through Ellis Island and doing things the legal way, but we need to remind ourselves that those legal pathways that extended to your grandma, your great, whoever it may have been in your lineage, those do not exist anymore.

>> The minute you try to come to the middle and say wait a minute, we really got this sprung on us and this is not working out so well in other parts of the country and we really need to think about what resources we have -- the minute you start to do that, some in the progressive base may say we don't like that you are doing that.

You have said all along you are going to be a sanctuary state and sanctuary governor and what happened to that?

>> Soap nuance be dammed -- so nuance be damned when it comes to hot button issues.

The issue making strange bedfellows of Governor Murphy and State Senator Jeffrey Drew, just months before the election in which neither is standing for office.

>> This week, Governor Murphy also signed a law protecting people's right to marry someone of a different race.

It is a movement to ensure interracial marriage is protected in New Jersey even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns that federal right.

The bill signing comes just over a year after the nation's top court overturned abortion rights and put a spotlight on other potentially vulnerable issues in which the court might intervene, like the 1967 landmark ruling loving view Virginia, which prohibits states from outline -- outlawing interracial marriage.

Governor Murphy said he signed the bill because the nation faces an era of uncertainty and New Jersey will continue to stand on the right side of history.

The new law also applies to civil unions and comes about two years after the governor codified same-sex marriage rights.

Labor Day marks the traditional kickoff election season, and this year, all 120 legislators are on the ballot.

Campaigning in some districts is well underway as candidates run in newly drawn legislative maps that are leaving many Republicans feeling pretty good about their chances of picking up seats and perhaps even gaining control of one house in the legislature for the first time in decades.

Senior writer Colleen O'Day is here with all of the latest on the following basis.

Here we are, another election season.

-- all the latest on the fall races.

All 120 legislators, as we know, are on the ballot in November.

>> Definitely there are two districts we are looking at.

The 11th in Monmouth County and the 16th in what is now known as Central Jersey, stretches from Huntington County down to Princeton.

Those are both districts that there are more Democrats than Republicans registered, but the areas have shifted.

Because we have a new map, as of last year, it is the first time that men and women are running in that map.

The Monmouth County area does have a lot of Republican support , and sodas hundred and County.

The 16th district, which is Andrew Zwicker's district, he also has a lot of Republican support.

>> Does it look like despite having more registered Democratic voters come these districts make lean that way because Republicans are willing to -- really looking to pick up seats in the legislature for the first time in an long time.

How much of a battle do they have ahead of them?

>> I think the question is going to be what winds up landing with voters.

There has kind of been a flip.

It seems like in the past, Republicans were always talking about pocketbook issues.

This time around, they are talking about more social issues are different issues.

You've got parental rights, offshore wind, concerns about energy, you know, getting rid of our not being able to purchase a new gas powered car in New Jersey in about a decade.

Democrats now are really pushing all the tax relief that they have given.

This state NJ program, which does not take effect until 2026, where after this election.

There's a whole lot of spending that the administration has done mostly in Democratic districts, to try to provide some relief.

>> Parental rights has certainly become front and center, what looks to be a main issue this election season.

Are the parties unified in their stanzas and in a sort of putting these particular issues forward as what they want to be sort of their banner of what they stand behind heading into November?

>> Certainly it seems like the vast majority of Republicans are.

On the Democratic side, it is a little bit different.

Democrats who are in definitely safe districts really have the luxury of being able to say what they want, but, you know, we have seen people pulling back on support for wind energy, not completely, but at least saying maybe we should take a step back and look a little further, because he's got to be careful.

He is in that she is in a district where he already has two Republican assembly women, so it is definitely a district that could switch, could flip.

>> Are you anticipating any surprises?

>I have already seen campaign as on TV.

I have gotten a couple of mailers.

I live in what is called a safe district.

>> It is Verily to see these things.

It is just after Labor Day.

We don't know what we will see.

Who could have predicted Steve Sweeney and his running mates would have lost their district?

It is very democratic, has a good, solid Democratic majority.

It is in South Jersey.

Republicans are pushing for it there, so who knows if that might flip?

We will not know.

>> Things.

For more on the upcoming elections, who is running in your district, where to vote, and what is at stake, check out Colleen O'Day's reporting a NJSpotlightnews.org."

It has been a week of chaos and anger for families of loved ones living at the Princeton care center.

The nursing home gave its 70 residents just hours' notice before shutting down the facility Friday, leaving the seniors and their families scrambling to figure out where to go and what to do next.

According to the news website planet Princeton, which first reported the story, think long-term care home blamed financial troubles for the abrupt closure.

New Jersey's long-term care ombudsman says residents were forced to relocate to 16 other facilities spanning the state.

On the day of the closure, reports described residents sitting in wheelchairs outside the center with garbage bags up their belongings on their laps crying and distraught.

Lawmakers, families, and advocates are now demanding answers from the state, questioning why a financial crisis months in the making was allowed to explode in a less than 24-hour window.

Attorneys for the nursing home are not commenting.

The state Department of Health says it's in a mission-critical team to the facility throughout August to prevent such an emergency situation like this from happening -- says it sent a mission-critical team to the facility.

The formerly incarcerated resident is now helping to lead a state office advocating for president -- advocating for prisoner rights.

Ronald Pierce served in more than 30-year sentence, leaving the East Jersey State prison in 2016.

He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in justice studies from Rutgers University and currently serves as a policy analyst for the New Jersey Institute for social justice.

That is where he has written and spoken extensively about his lived experience behind bars.

In his new role, he will oversee the office's community engagement division.

According to that office, he will work on public education events and policies that look out for the safety, health, and well-being of incarcerated people in New Jersey.

In our spotlight on business report, state residents are still getting used to the ban on plastic bags, but the majority support it.

It has been one year since the rule went into effect, and a Monmouth University poll out today finds support for the single use bag ban remains high.

The poll also finds most residents have a decent-sized collection of reusable bags, accumulating at least 10 or more during that time.

It is likely because a lot of us forget them in our cars or at home when we go shopping.

56% of residents back to ban of foam food containers come but the real drama is over plastic straws.

The poll finds the state split on that ban.

A majority don't want supermarkets to get rid of paper bags.

Overall, the poll finds the law appears to be working as it was intended.

Wall Street is off to a slow start this month.

Here's how markets closed today.

>> Support for "the business report" provided by the Chamber of Commerce southern New Jersey, working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Membership and event information online at chambersNJ.com.

>> That's going to do it for us tonight, but don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen any time.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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