After rejecting then approving state sex-ed curriculum, Toms River meeting again
TOMS RIVER - A special meeting to discuss the new state-mandated health and physical education curriculum will be held at 6 p.m. today in the auditorium at Toms River High School North.
The state Department of Education mandates that the lessons be taught; a New Jersey law requires instruction "on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in appropriate places in the middle school and high school curriculum."
The health and physical education lessons include topics about physical and mental health, personal hygiene, fitness, nutrition and substance abuse.
But it is the sex education component that has stirred the most controversy.
The new curriculum, slated to be taught in New Jersey schools starting in September, has drawn strong criticism from some Toms River parents, who have said the sex education instruction goes too far and usurps the role of parents in delivering such information to their children.
In October, a board majority voted against implementing the new curriculum, following pushback from a group of parents. That action drew the ire of Garden State Equality, an Asbury Park-based LGBTQ advocacy organization.
"By preserving self-interests and choosing to vote no, the board members maintain a status quo that ensures our most vulnerable students in the Toms River community will continue to feel out of place," Garden State Equality wrote in a letter directed to the board.
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When board members voted again to implement the curriculum at their December meeting, the issue was approved by a 6 to 3 margin.
The board's second vote came after a parent, two High School East students who are members of the school's Alliance, an LGBTQ club, and two adult members of the local LGBTQ community spoke to board members about the importance of the new curriculum to people who often find themselves marginalized by society.
Toms River Regional Superintendent Michael Citta said last month that tonight's curriculum committee meeting has been scheduled to take feedback from the public about the new lessons.
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"No action will be taken at the meeting," Citta said. The board had previously promised parents that a public meeting would be held to discuss the new curriculum before the beginning of the school year. The curriculum provides broad guidance to districts about which topics should be covered at each grade level, but leaves the specifics up to local districts.
What is New Jersey's sex education curriculum?
Among the lessons for older students that are drawing opposition from parents in several New Jersey districts are those that discuss anal and oral sex, masturbation and abortion as a “pregnancy option."
The basic curriculum for each level states:
By second grade, students are taught that “all living things may have the capacity to reproduce,” that people may choose to dress differently, and that gender-role stereotypes may “limit behavior.” They are also taught there are “different types of families.”
By fifth grade, students will be taught the first signs of puberty, how sexual intercourse relates to reproduction, and “common human sexual development and the role of hormones, romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings and the timing of pubertal onset,” according to the state curriculum. Students also are advised that all “individuals should feel welcome and included regardless of their gender, gender expression or sexual orientation.”
By eighth grade, students will be taught the stages of pregnancy and prenatal care as well as the social, emotional and financial impacts of parenthood. They also are taught pregnancy options such as parenting, abortion and adoption; and the definitions of vaginal, anal and oral sex.
By the end of 12th grade, students are advised about birth control options and avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, as well as laws in place to protect them from “unhealthy sexual situations.”
Toms River Regional officials have assured parents that they can choose to "opt out" of the sex-ed lessons. But some parents have called for children to be required to "opt in" before the lessons can be taught. That means parents would have to sign a permission slip for their children to participate.
Middletown schools recently instituted such a policy, which is more restrictive than that in most districts.
Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in public service, she's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.
Contributing: Staff Writer Joe Strupp
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River Regional holds meeting on new sex-ed curriculum
