Sex Ed. Opt-In Forms Sent To All Middletown Parents Wednesday Morning

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Wednesday morning, the Middletown school district emailed all parents curriculum "opt-in" forms, requesting their permission for their child to be included in the controversial new sex education curriculum that starts this fall.

This is the new health/physical education curriculum New Jersey public schools are required to start teaching this year, as per a requirement from Gov. Phil Murphy and acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan.

Some New Jersey parents have expressed deep discomfort with the curriculum, which includes discussing gender identity with elementary students, as well as anal sex and abortion with middle schoolers. According to these state guidelines, masturbation is recommended to be discussed "by the end of Grade 5."

Across the state, it has been a longstanding policy that parents can "opt" their child out of sex education. But Middletown is now one of the first school districts to require parents "opt in" to the new sex education curriculum.

No student can attend the new health/phys. ed. classes until their parent hands back these forms.

The signed permission forms are due back by Sept. 5. The first day of school in Middletown is the next day, Sept. 6.

Middletown parents also received full outlines of what will be taught for each grade level. For example, here is what will be taught to Middletown fifth graders: https://docs.google.com/docume...

And here is the parental consent form for fifth graders: https://docs.google.com/forms/...

"In recent months, there has been some discussion and parental concern regarding these new standards, particularly in areas of Personal/Mental Health and Social/Sexual Health," wrote Middletown schools superintendent Mary Ellen Walker in a letter to parents that accompanied the forms on Wednesday. "Each school district has been faced with the challenge of balancing the needs of the school community while also providing students with a curriculum that aligned with state expectations ... Our administrative team, educators and Board of Education have worked diligently over the last two years to produce a curriculum (K-12) and corresponding set of resources that we believe strikes this balance. We request that each family take the time to review the health unit's themes, corresponding topics and curriculum documents. We hope that by providing you with this information prior to the school year starting, you will be able to preview the content and make an informed decision about your child’s health education for the upcoming school year."

"The Middletown Township Public School District does recognize that some of the health content may be in conflict with your personal beliefs and/or comfort level," Walker continued. "The NJDOE also respects the fact that some families may prefer to have these conversations privately ... It is our stance that each family has the right to make an informed decision about his/her child’s health education. For those parents/guardians who decide to have their child participate in only select health units, there will be no penalty for this decision ... We greatly respect our parent community as our children’s first teachers and best advocates."

Also, Wednesday night will be the first of two parent information sessions the Middletown school district is hosting on the new sex education curriculum. The first session will be at 6:30 p.m. at High School South auditorium tonight, followed by a second info. session Aug. 31, again at 6:30 p.m. at High School North.

At the public meetings, parents will get a preview of what will be taught in the new phys. ed./health curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade, among other topics, according to Jessica Alfone, Middletown's assistant superintendent of curriculum.

Here is the 66-page sex education/heath/phys ed. curriculum requirements from the Department of Education. One 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, the DOE guidelines read. Gender identity will be discussed with second graders.

School districts are required by law to teach the new sex education guidelines, Laura Fredrick, communications director for the NJ Department of Education, told the Bergen Record in late July.