NY Gov. Candidate Aims Campaign At Sex Ed - And An HV High School

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — With the Republican primary looming, New York gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino has taken aim at sex education in public high schools. On Tuesday, he held a press conference in front of Croton-Harmon High School to denounce it.

"As governor, our schools will go back to focusing on the core academic subjects and the racial theories, gender ideologies and explicit sexual instruction will be banned from the classroom," he said on Facebook.

On social media, he put a photo of a whiteboard filled with slang for sex acts that he said was taken in a CHHS classroom by a student and shared with him by a parent.

He said on Twitter: "Look what's being taught in 10th grade at a Westchester HS & in schools around NY, according to many concerned parents who contacted me. Inappropriate, vulgar & criminal sexual content needs to be banned from classroom. Stick to core academic subjects. #revengeofthenormalpeople"

In a news release Wednesday morning, he said the Croton-Harmon students had been instructed to list deviant sex acts and derogatory sexual terms on a classroom whiteboard for general discussion. "I’m all for reasonable sex education, but when children are discussing how to sexually mutilate one another in New York classrooms, it’s clear we have a problem," he said, blaming Gov. Kathy Hochul and "woke one-party rule in Albany" for allowing "classroom education to become twisted porn instruction."

By then, the tweet had been 'liked' 932 times and retweeted just 338, though that might be because of the 22 terms clearly legible in the photo, including "doing the dirty" as well as the traditional four-letter word.

One commenter on his tweet said, "What work place would allow this??? Let alone in a school??!!'

But another said, "Is everyone on this whole thread pretending that 15 and 16 year olds aren't already having sex with each other? I mean I know it's taboo but am I the only one that went to high school here? this is an ice-breaker, asking kids what they've heard before moving on with the lesson."

On Facebook, one commenter said, "This is evil and disgusting! With the way things are it’s bad enough parents are worried about their kids being safe from intruders coming into the schools but who’s gonna keep them safe from the enemies that are on the inside of the school? They don’t allow God in the school but sex is just fine! Wake up people! They are coming for your kids!"

Another commenter spoke directly to the candidate. "Rob have you paid attention to what kids are listening to & watching these days? ... This is not the hill you ought to be campaigning against. #NYS need new direction not a thought police."

In response, the superintendent of the Croton-Harmon school district wrote the community a letter Tuesday afternoon.

"Mr. Astorino has not contacted the district for background or context, and I would like to provide that to you now," Stephen Walker said.

Several years ago, after some students were involved in an alleged off-campus sexual assault, the district formed a task force of parents, students and community members to update how the health curriculum addresses consent and sexual health.

One of those learning experiences begins with a discussion about consent, including the nuanced and sensitive language around that topic. Students are then asked to anonymously generate words or phrases they have heard or used related to sexual activity, some of which depict potentially unhealthy dynamics about sex. The individual words and phrases shared by the students are not defined within the class; instead, there is a discussion about the overall connotation of these terms, and the importance of using respectful language around this sensitive topic.

Walker said such learning experiences are important, and that district officials trust and stand firmly behind the school's "highly trained, dedicated, and passionate professionals."

Astorino said the parents who reached out to him "were afraid of their children being “canceled” for questioning their Health Class curriculum."

Sex education has been controversial before in tony suburban Westchester County.

In 1996, complaints from parents in Chappaqua forced district officials to stop using basketball star Magic Johnson's book "What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS" which had been read in health classes at Horace Greeley High School for four years. Many parents objected to the book's descriptions of oral and anal sex as too graphic. The controversy was national news.

Instruction about HIV/AIDS has been mandated in New York schools for decades, with an opt-out choice for parents, and Erin's Law passed in 2019, requiring public schools to teach child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention classes to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Comprehensive sex education is not state-mandated.

In the state, sex-ed by law stresses abstinence as the primary way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. In New York, teens and young adults are disproportionally affected by STDs, according to health officials — with 3 out of 5 sexually-transmitted infections among people aged 15-24. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common STDs.

The GOP primary for governor is June 28. Registered Republican voters will choose which of four candidates — Astorino, Andrew Guiliani, Harry Wilson or Lee Zeldin — will appear on the Republican Party ballot line in the November general election. Early voting starts Saturday.

There is also a Democratic primary for governor, as registered Democratic voters will choose which of three candidates — Thomas R. Suozzi, Kathy C. Hochul or Jumaane D. Williams — will appear on that ballot line in November.

MORE INFO: June Primary 2022: Early Voting Begins Saturday In Westchester