Woodbridge Mom: School District Should Have Told Parents About Sex Ed.

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Sex education and $18 million the Woodbridge school district received in federal CARES Act funding were the top topics discussed at the most recent Woodbridge school board meeting, held last Thursday, Dec. 15.

Here is a summary of what transpired at that meeting:

Woodbridge resident and past school board candidate Tom Maras brought up a typo in the 2022-23 budget that said the school district received $18 billion in federal CARES Act funding.

It was a typo, but Woodbridge schools did receive $18 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds. School districts across New Jersey and the nation received millions in this type of funding from the CARES Act, the massive federal spending bill to help the U.S. recover from COVID and pandemic-shutdowns.

The Woodbridge school district will use the $18 million for health and safety projects (such as the replacement of aging HVAC systems), to address students' mental health, social and emotional learning and address learning loss from the pandemic, school board member Brian Harris said at the meeting.

Next, Colonia mother Elsie Caro stood up and spoke before the board. She said some Woodbridge parents are still very upset about the sex education curriculum that was rolled out in New Jersey schools this fall.

"I believe you are going to constantly get a new parent every month bringing this up," the mother addressed the board. "Because you did not inform us properly."

"This is a very controversial topic, and you failed to communicate the way you communicated with COVID," she continued. "I didn't receive any kind of communication from any of the teachers at my son's school on this. I found this out from watching the news. I don't want to hear about what's happening from the media — I want to hear it from you."

To which Woodbridge school board attorney Jonathan Busch (who is also the mayor of Metuchen) gave a lengthy reply, in part saying:

"The district has done what we are supposed to do; we have to follow state standards. The state standards were changed slightly, which I think has some parents up in arms and we certainly understand that ... There's not a huge amount of discretion here in New Jersey. We have to follow what the state tells us to do. What has not changed is that parents have the right to have their child opt out."

He also reiterated that some parents have asked if Woodbridge can move to an "opt-in" model for the new sex education classes (as the Middletown school district has been the only district in the state to do), but Busch said he again thinks the school district would be "violating state law to allow kids to opt in."

Busch also reiterated that parents should voice their concerns over the new sex ed. curriculum before the state Department of Education in Trenton. This is because the DOE wrote the curriculum and told all NJ school districts they have to teach it.

"So basically go to Trenton," replied the mother. "Parents don't even know we have that opportunity."

(Here is the 66-page curriculum guide from the NJ Dept. of Education. It includes vague requirements on talking about gender identity to second graders and discussing masturbation with fifth graders. Another 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. Teachers have some leeway with how they teach the standards.)

Paul Postorino, assistant curriculum superintendent, said Woodbridge schools specifically delayed the roll-out of the new sex ed. curriculum this past September because he wanted teachers to get thoroughly acquainted with the new curriculum.

"We wanted to give our faculty and staff an additional few weeks to make sure they were comfortable with the curriculum and had a chance to review it, express their concerns," Postorino told the mother. "We did listen to our teachers, a lot of whom live in the community."

Hopelawn resident Paul Lund also spoke before the board, saying he thinks abortion is wrong, "a violent end to a developing human" and that he does not think it should be taught in schools.

Later in the meeting, Woodbridge resident Jimmy Dabrowski again voiced his displeasure with Confederate re-enactment soldiers marching in the Woodbridge Township Veteran’s Day, to which Board member Brian Molnar passionately defended as part of American history. Dabrowski and Molnar have their exchange at the 58 minute mark.

You can watch the meeting in its entirety here: