Monmouth County Calls For Parents' Bill Of Rights On Sex Education

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Last Thursday, the all-Republican Monmouth County Board of Commissioners voted to create a statewide "Parents' Bill of Rights" regarding the controversial new sex education curriculum now required by the state.

This comes the same week Gov. Phil Murphy said he will direct his Department Education to "review" some of the proposed sex ed. content, after a massive outcry from parents and even some Democratic lawmakers (Long Branch state Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat who is chair of the Senate Education Committee, said he was "'horrified' by some of these words I'm seeing in sample lesson plans.")

"I cannot stress enough how strongly we, as a Board, are opposed to the legislation that was passed regarding the deeply disturbing and highly sensitive content that will be taught to our young children," said Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone, a Republican.

"We are asking Monmouth County parents and guardians to send us their input regarding what they believe should be included in a Parents Bill of Rights. Letters can be sent by mail to my attention at One East Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 or emailed to PublicInput@visitmonmouth.com," he said.

In the spring of 2020, the Murphy administration created the new sex education mandates. They are called the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and you can read what the Dept. of Education calls for in this curriculum document: https://www.nj.gov/education/c...

The 66-page curriculum guide says that teachers have to talk about gender identity to second graders and discuss masturbation "by the end of grade 5."

Another requirement from the state is that by the end of eighth grade, students should be able to "define vaginal, oral and anal sex." Teachers should "describe pregnancy testing, the signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion and adoption" by the end of eighth grade.

Last Monday, April 11, a reporter asked Murphy: "Can you comment to concerned parents who think that gender identity should not be taught in elementary school?"

"I would say a couple of things: Number one, I think there’s some sort of sense that parents have no say. And, I would just say emphatically, parents deserve, absolutely, to have a say in this sort of stuff — along with all other interested parties, but probably none more than parents," said Murphy. "Number two, I don’t like the fact that some are using this as an opportunity to score political points and to further divide us vs. them. In particular, I say that on behalf of LGBTQIA+ communities. Let’s, everybody, not use this to divide us. Thirdly, I think if you look at the standards, by the way folks should know that these standards were voted on by the State’s Board of Education, I believe two years ago, so this is not a new development, but local boards are required to have this implemented by this coming fall, which is why I think this has come up as a topic."

"I think if you look at the actual standards, they’re a pretty high level," he said. "In other words, they are not very prescriptive, they are at a high level, I would say. But if folks think that they need to be adjusted or altered, and there’s a reasonable argument for that, count me as somebody who is willing to entertain that — absolutely."

Monmouth County state Senator Declan O'Scanlon (Republican), said he agrees some of the curriculum needs to be reviewed.

“These standards were adopted in the spring of 2020 when everyone had a few other things on their minds," O' Scanlon said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesman for the NJ Department of Education told Patch this week that New Jersey school districts have leeway in deciding how they teach the new curriculum:

"The NJDOE does not mandate specific curriculum; it is the responsibility of local school districts to create curriculum, tailored to and in consultation with their communities, in order to implement standards within the understanding of local setting and context," said DOE spokesman Michael Yaple. "The law also recognizes the deeply personal nature of potentially sensitive topics, and allows parents or guardians to opt out."

But Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, another Republican who represents northern Monmouth County, said claims from the Murphy administration/Dept. of Education that these are not sex ed. mandates are "panicking and backpedaling."

"This was a mandate from the top, and only when New Jersey Democrats got caught doing this by parents who — rightfully — were very upset, are they now saying it's not a mandate," Schafenberger said over the Easter holiday weekend. "This was a mandate."

"In addition, if any parent or guardian wishes to send a letter of opposition regarding the legislation that was passed, we will guarantee that they are delivered to the Governor’s Office and the New Jersey Department of Education. Your voices will not go unheard," said Arnone. "Email: PublicInput@visitmonmouth.com"

Prior: NJ Senate Education Chairman: Sex Ed Curriculum Is A 'Guide' (April 14)

Murphy Orders Review Of Controversial Sex Education Standards (April 13)

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This article originally appeared on the Middletown Patch