The way transgender students should be treated in New Jersey's public schools had not been a controversial issue until recently, when allies of President Donald Trump and so-called parents’ rights advocates started to bring it to the forefront.

Now, as Election Day nears, New Jersey’s two candidates for governor — Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill — are handling the topic very differently.

At issue is a little-known New Jersey education policy on gender identity called Policy 5756.

The policy lays out guidelines on gay and transgender students' rights and has been in the manuals of nearly all the state’s school districts since a law signed in 2017 by Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

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The policy says school staff members are not

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