New Sex Ed. Mandates Again A Hot Topic At Middletown BOE Meeting

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The same mother of a Middletown sixth grader who last week said she was "disturbed" by the state's updated sex education curriculum spoke again at Monday night's school board meeting.

The parent is Ann Marie Lusquinos and she again expressed her discomfort with the new sex education, which the state of New Jersey says schools must start teaching next fall.

On Monday night, Lusquinos called for all Middletown parents to be briefed beforehand on what will be taught in classrooms, and that parents be given the choice to "opt in" their children instead of the current format, where parents can opt their child out.

"There should be a workshop — for parents, for transparency — so parents can learn what material the teachers will be using," said the mom. "Parents should know the materials being taught. I know there's an opt-out option, but I argue there should be an opt-in. Give parents and guardians the curriculum prior to the course. Let them figure out if this is appropriate for their child."

After she finished speaking, Lusquino was met with claps from the audience.

As Patch reported last week, what she is referring to is this new 66-page guide of Health & Physical Education learning standards released last year by the state Department of Education.

The following — taken directly from the state guidelines — seems to have sparked the most push-back from some parents:

• "Discuss the range of ways people express their gender and how gender-role stereotypes may limit behavior" by the end of second grade.
• By the end of fifth grade, teachers should "explain common human sexual development and the role of hormones (e.g., romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, timing of pubertal onset)."
• By the end of eighth grade, students should be able to "define vaginal, oral and anal sex."
• "Describe pregnancy testing, the signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion and adoption" by the end of eighth grade.
• By the end of senior year, students should have had discussions with their teachers about safe sex practices, abstinence, Safe Haven laws, adoption and abortion.

"The 66-page policy looks, in my opinion, not appropriate to be taught in school," said Lusquino Monday night.

"I want to know in what respect anal sex will be mentioned to a 5th grader," she continued, as some Middletown Board of Ed. members visibly squirmed. "I want to know how gender identity is being taught a second grader ... I want to know what that looks like in a classroom. What are our kids listening to and learning about? I want to know as a parent before that teacher speaks."

Lusquinos said she also wanted to know how many Middletown school board members had actually read the state's 66-page guidelines.

When Lusquino was done speaking, she was met with claps from the audience and another mom then spoke, saying she too was "concerned" about the new sex ed. curriculum.

"Parents have the right to see curriculum on any subject," she said.

Then a third parent got up and asked why she had to pay to get a copy of the new sex ed. guidelines.

"Why do I have to pay to get a copy of the curriculum? Isn't it my right to know that information? Don't I pay taxes?" asked the mom, Shelley Walling.

The new sex ed. curriculum was implemented by Gov. Phil Murphy's administration; under Murphy, climate change will also start being taught in NJ K-12 schools.

The DOE says all New Jersey public schools must start teaching the new curriculum by the fall of 2022. New Jersey schools were supposed to start teaching the new sex ed. curriculum this year, but the state delayed the start date to Sept. 2022 due to the continued coronavirus pandemic.

"The inclusion of such material is not optional," a DOE spokesperson told the Toms River Patch reporter, where the sex education mandates are being met with similar resistance from parents.

Last week's Patch report on this topic: Middletown School Board Reviews New Sex-Ed Curriculum Mandates

Subscribe to Patch for local Middletown news: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.Baldwin@patch.com