Middletown Will Require Students To 'Opt In' To Sex Ed. Classes

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown will be one of the first districts in the state to have parents "opt in" to the new sex education curriculum this fall.

These are the new sex education mandates New Jersey public schools are required to start teaching in the 2022-23 school year, at the behest of Gov. Phil Murphy and acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan. The 66-page curriculum guide from the DOE includes talking about masturbation and gender identity to elementary students.

"For our health curriculum, parents will opt-in to each individual unit for their children," said Jessica Alfone, assistant superintendent of curriculum at the Middletown school district. "Through this transparent process, it is our goal to ensure that our parents/families have comfort and confidence in the content being addressed, but will also have the ultimate decision-making ability in determining what is best for (their) child."

In April, State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch), who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said the controversial curriculum should be thought of as a "guide."

But Laura Fredrick, communications director for the NJ Department of Education, told the Bergen Record in late July that if districts do not teach the material, they will be penalized. School districts are required by law to teach the new sex education guidelines, she said.

Other school districts are giving students the chance to "opt out" of the new sex education classes, but Middletown is one of the first school districts in the state to require parents "opt in."

That means Middletown parents will be told in advance what will be taught and must give their child permission to attend that day's lesson.

"Middletown envisions an opt-in (by unit) for the health curriculum rather than an opt-out," said Middletown board member Kate Farley, who chairs the curriculum committee. "The administrative team has worked very hard to put together a revised K-5 health curriculum that is compliant with state standards but also wholly age-appropriate for our students at each grade level."

"My understanding is prior to each new health unit, a form will be sent home for parents to return to opt their child in to that particular unit," said board vice president Jacqueline Tobacco, adding that the district has not exactly determined how the opt-in process will work. "Getting the community transparent information was a goal of the administration and the board supports that fully."

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.

Two information sessions in August for Middletown parents to learn about sex ed. curriculum

The Middletown school district will also host two information sessions this August for parents to learn what will be taught in the new health and sex education curriculum this fall.

The sessions are: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at High School South auditorium and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at High School North. These will be for parents to get briefed on the new Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for K-12 and health curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade.

"Our two parent information sessions will afford our school community members the opportunity to see how our curriculum meets the needs of our students, while also ensuring we are teaching to the required standards in a sensitive and developmentally appropriate manner," said assistant superintendent Alfone. "At these sessions we will be providing parents with a preview of the new programming for grades K-5 in health and in grades K-12 in Social-Emotional Learning."

The Middletown school district has not technically adopted the new sex ed. standards. The board will do that at their Aug. 23 meeting, the only meeting they will hold in August.

"The board won’t approve the curriculum officially until the August meeting," said Tobacco.

"I'm very excited about these sessions and giving parents the opportunity to come see for themselves exactly what Middletown will be doing and cut through some of the other concerning and misleading items that are being tossed around right now," said Farley. "The information sessions will provide details about the new K-5 health curriculum, plus an opportunity to ask questions, so parents can make an informed decision about their plan for their child’s health education for the 2022-2023 school year."

“I’m confident that our administration has found a way to deliver instruction in an appropriate manner with the needs of the community in mind," said Tobacco. "Parents can come and see exactly what is being taught and there will be a Q&A session led by our new assistant superintendent Jessica Alfone."