Parents Beg Lacey Schools To Reconsider Sex Ed Standards

LACEY, NJ — Curriculum discussions for the next school year are being worked on in Lacey, but parents want one thing to be clear: they have no interest in the controversial sex education standards being taught to their children.

The comprehensive health and physical education standards have been the subject of controversy throughout New Jersey over the past several months, and have been discussed at Lacey Board of Education meetings multiple times. Read More: Controversial Sex Ed Standards Explained By Lacey Schools

While educators are still building the new curriculum, parents insisted that these standards be left out of it.

"If you do choose to implement any of that information, as far as opting out or opting in, I'm not letting my daughter participate in that sort of information," parent Ann Marie Leiter said at a recent school board meeting. She said that she prefers to teach her daughter that herself, at home.

Leiter said that opting her child out should give her a different class and not just sitting in study hall.

"How about teaching kids how to sign their name? How to address an envelope? How to compose a letter? Maybe, you know, how to boil water, how to write a check - you know, basic stuff," Leiter said.

"I pray first, that you guys not implement that sort of language into our children's heads," she said.

Leiter was not the only one to oppose the standards.

"I don't have a problem with anybody's sexuality, but I don't believe that it should ever be in an elementary school," Jessica Deluca said.

"I know that you guys all have your own rules that you have to follow," Deluca said. "But I feel like you guys are absolutely just taking all these little children's minds and just turning it to mush with all this extra stuff."

Deluca said she should not have to opt out her children from the material because it should not even be taught.

"They should not even have to read about this bulls--t," Deluca said.

Superintendent Dr. Vanessa Pereira Clark addressed the concerns, reminding parents that the curriculum is still being worked on.

"We're going to give our parents the opportunity to review the curriculum and then we're going to schedule those forums," Clark said. The forums were mentioned earlier in the evening by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction William Zylinski. These will allow parents to learn more about the curriculum, particularly the controversial sexual education standards. Read More: Curriculum Updates Shared By Lacey School Officials

"We'll be announcing those very soon," Clark said, adding that the teachers are in the process of finishing up the revisions to the curriculum guide.