New state sex education standards in New Jersey teach students up to age 13 about anal sex, their pregnancy options and abortion. The standards were adopted by the state Board of Education in 2020 and schools are required to implement them starting this school year or they could face "disciplinary action" and loss of funding from the state.
State education standards outline what students should learn at each grade level, and it is up to districts to design curriculum to adhere to the new learning themes.
By eighth grade-one of the most criticized plans includes that students must be able to "describe pregnancy tests, signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption" and know how to differentiate and "define vaginal, oral, and anal sex."
For the little ones: "it is normal to feel like a different sex.”
Among the sexual curriculum for the youngest children is one called “purple, pink and blue" that instructs teachers to talk with their 6-7 year old students about gender identity. The first objective is to enable students to define "gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes.” One of his lessons states:
Gender identity is that feeling of knowing your gender. You can feel like a boy, you can feel like a girl. And you may not feel like you're a boy or a girl, but you're a little bit of both. No matter how you feel, you are perfectly normal!
Another curriculum for second graders is "understanding our bodies.” It tells teachers to teach 7-8 year old students to "identify at least four private parts of their body," and that it is normal to feel like another sex, even if it does not correspond to their genitalia:
There are some body parts that mostly only girls have and some parts that mostly only boys have. But, you may feel like you are a boy, even if you have body parts that some people might say are girl parts. You might feel like you are a girl, even if you have body parts, which some people might say you are boy parts.
“Harmful and offensive" standards
One Berkeley Heights school district parent called the standards "harmful and offensive," adding that it was difficult to find on their school's website exactly what her children would be learning.
According to FoxNews, the mother, who asked to remain anonymous, opted to exclude her children from parts of the updated curriculum from sex education that she and her husband found alarming, but they are concerned that other parents in the state are not aware of what their children are being taught:
All I ask for is transparency and accountability, I hope other parents realize that there are ways to opt out. I had to send quite a few emails and find out who is in charge and teach what to get to this point. It's a lot of work for most parents.
State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R) was a major critic of Gov. Phil Murphy's administration over the school district's new sex education plans. Schepisi told Fox News that Murphy's plans are "beyond the pale" and that it was concerned parents who sent him the curriculum materials:
As a parent and legislator, I can appreciate the need for students to receive age-appropriate sex instruction, but this is beyond the pale. We knew Governor Murphy would use the pandemic cover to push these new standards, something was terribly wrong, and now we can clearly see why he needed to do it in secret. The agenda has veered so far to the left in an attempt to sexualize our precious children, that we parents are left to fight back.
New Jersey political commentators also weighed in. Radio host and parent Matt Rooney warned that these lessons are what happens "when you let the radicals of the New Jersey Education Association and far-left nutjobs take control of your children's education."
Attention N.J. parents:
Here's what @GovMurphy wants public schools to teach your FIRST grader starting in fall 2022: https://t.co/8XVtig9mfi
This is what happens when you let @NJEA radicals and far-Left wackos take control of your children's education.
Had enough? Hope so... pic.twitter.com/jt9XkVpNw1
- Matt Rooney (@MattRooneyNJ) April 6, 2022
An anonymous spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Education told Fox News that "the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) are mandatory for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to implement and failure to comply may result in disciplinary action."
"Under some of the New Jersey Statutes for children to be excused from any part of instruction in health, family life or sex education, their parent or guardian must inform the school principal in writing that the instruction conflicts with their conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs," he concluded.
