4 Republican NJ Senators Hold Hearing On Sex Education In Schools

NEW JERSEY — Several Republican lawmakers in New Jersey recently held a public hearing to discuss “sex education, state curriculum mandates and improving parental rights in education.”

Last week, four state senators convened virtually for the hearing: Joe Pennacchio (District 26), Kristin Corrado (District 40), Holly Schepisi (District 39) and Michael Testa (District 1).

During the hearing, the senators spoke with several local school board members, candidates, parents and education professionals (watch the video below).

“We are all different – everyone on the panel acknowledges and respects that,” Sen. Pennacchio said. “We would however, expect the same respect and tolerance for parents and their absolute rights as parents to determine what is in the best interest of their children. That includes when and where it is appropriate to expose children to the spectrum of issues on sexuality.”

The senators said they support a previously pitched plan for reform in New Jersey, which has been dubbed “The Three R’s.” According to lawmakers, those include:

REPEAL – “We should immediately repeal the new sex education standards that were adopted by the unelected State Board of Education. We should remove sex education completely from state learning standards and require school districts to develop standards locally with the input of parents and the community.”

REPLACE – “We should replace recently enacted diversity and inclusion legislation that requires controversial topics, including gender identity and implicit bias, to be taught to children in every grade. To address the concerns of parents that these requirements are not age-appropriate, we should replace the law to limit the requirement to high school students.”

RESTORE – “We must restore the rights of parents to have a voice in their children’s education. That means empowering parents with additional information and control over the curricula, lesson plans, and teaching resources that may be adopted or used by their schools, and recognizing the fundamental right of parents to control their children’s education and to maintain family privacy.”

With New Jersey's new curriculum for health and sexual education set to go into effect this school year, some state Republicans have been ramping up their focus on the lightning-rod issue. Read More: GOP Criticism Of NJ Teachers Union Ramps Up As New Sex Ed Classes Begin

One of their targets has been the New Jersey State Board of Education, which adopts the administrative code that sets the rules needed to implement state education law. These rules cover the supervision and governance of the state’s 2,500 public schools, which serve about 1.4 million students. In addition, the board advises on educational policies proposed by the commissioner and confirms Department of Education staff appointments.

The board has 13 members who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the New Jersey State Senate. Members serve without compensation for six-year terms. By law, at least three members of the state board must be women, and no two members may be appointed from the same county.

State officials approved the educational standards in 2020, but a furor erupted over the mandates in late March, fueled by items pulled from sample curriculum materials that are not in use in New Jersey's schools and have not been adopted by any school districts in the state. (While New Jersey schools must adhere to the standards, parents can opt their children out of the lessons.)

Some parents and members of the public have expressed anger over the new standards at school board meetings throughout the state in recent months.

• Read More: Parents Beg Lacey Schools To Reconsider Sex Ed Standards
• Read More: Rally Against New State Sex Education Mandates Coming To Camden County

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