LGBTQ Nonprofit Helps West Orange Schools Prep For New Law

WEST ORANGE, NJ — New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization is helping schools in West Orange to prepare for a new state law involving social justice education.

Administrators in the West Orange Public School District recently announced that they are working with nonprofit Garden State Equality (GSE) to get ready for the rollout of S-1569 in the 2020-2021 school year.

The law – adopted in January - requires schools to "include instruction, and adopt instructional materials, that accurately portray political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people." (Read the full text)

All public middle and high schools in the state will have to start teaching curriculum in alignment with the new law, West Orange school administrators said.

On Nov. 11, a Safe Schools coordinator with GSE met with faculty at Liberty Middle School in West Orange to provide an overview of the training and materials that will be made available to staff and students.

GSE is also participating in writing the curriculum, district administrators said.

Roosevelt Middle School, the district's other 7-8 middle school, has begun meeting with GSE as well. Meetings with Edison Middle School and West Orange High School are also planned.

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