Parents and parents are furious at the New Jersey school district’s curriculum on gender identity. They accuse it of encouraging students to change.
Lawrence Township Public Schools adopted a transgender policies for the current school year, similar to the 600 districts in New Jersey. The original policy 5756 was adopted in 2016, and it was revised three years later. Although the policy was initially adopted by the district as a mandate by the state, a clarification by New Jersey’s Education Department in April stated that the state does not require curriculum.
Robert Pluta, a parent who pulled his children from the district, said that he was tired of people using [state learning standards] to hide behind this far-left agenda. He also mentioned that this agenda includes gender theory.
The curriculum for the district includes lesson plans, books, and assignments about gender identity.
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New Jersey school district has been accused of promoting gender identity education. Parents and rights groups are furious. (iStock)
“This super-woke progressive agenda… It’s so saturated in race and sex. It’s like, can we just return to teaching? Pluta stated that he doesn’t want either a conservative or liberal school.
The picture book “Jacob’s New Dress” is read to kindergarteners by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman. It tells the story about a young boy who loves dressing up and wants to wear a gown to school, despite being told by his classmates that he can’t wear “girl” clothes. The story of a boy who loves “pretty things” and prefers wearing tiaras to “girly dresses” is also read to kindergartners by Cheryl Kilodavis.
Second-graders read Marcus Ewert’s “10,000 Dresses”, a story about a biological boy named Bailey, who dreams of wearing elaborate dresses. Michael Hall also reads “Red,” a story about a blue crayon that has a red label, which describes how the inside color he identifies with is different from what is on his label.
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Fifth graders hear the story of “PRIDE”: The Story of Harvey Milk, the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders. Harvey Milk was the first Californian openly gay person elected to public office.
Another parent who lives in the same district pulled her children out of public schools over a curriculum on gender identity. She cited a lesson about the “gender Snowperson” that was taught to fourth grade students. They are asked to imagine themselves as “snowpersons” and to play a game where their gender can be chosen.
“My main concern about them is that they’re pushing for social transition. The policy and the curricula promote social transition, the parent said to FOX News Digital.
She also explained that there were four steps to gender transition: social transformation, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormonals. She stated that the district does not use any other medical methods for gender transitioning and does not provide puberty blocking drugs.
She said, “Once you have led the horse to water the horse will drink.” “This is what many parents are so worried about, they actually encourage it.”
Lawrence Township has a unit on “Social Justice” that is part of the social studies curriculum. It teaches students from kindergarten to “Identity/True Self.”
This unit teaches fifth graders that social transition is a first step that everyone, children and adults, should take if their internal gender sense or sex at birth does not match.
The unit description says that this means children and adults live lives that reflect their inner gender identity. A person might use a different name or pronoun than they used before. One might choose to change their gender expression by wearing different clothes or having a new haircut. Students want to use school facilities and participate in activities that are compatible with their gender identity.
Erika Sanzi is the Director of Outreach for Parents Defending Education. She stated that the curriculum was “completely inappropriate” for elementary school students.
She said that it was based on gender ideology. It is similar to a teacher reading from the catechism and telling students all of its truths. They could instead of indoctrinating 5-year olds and 8-year-olds with activism-free reading instructions.
The following social studies units are taught to children in young schools: “Skin Color,” Bias/Prejudice, and “Being an Ally/Protest.”
According to the transgender policy of the district, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination “generally renders it illegal for schools to subject individuals based on gender identity and expression.”
The policy states that the district will accept students’ asserted gender identity and that parental consent is not required.
The policy states that students do not need to meet any threshold diagnosis, treatment requirements in order to have their gender identity recognized by the school district, school, or school staff. A legal or court-ordered change of name is not required. Any school district staff member is not required to inform a parent about the student’s gender identity and expression.
For the current school year, the Lawrence Township Public Schools’ Transgender Policy was adopted along with 600 other New Jersey districts. The original policy 5756 was adopted in 2016, and it was revised three years later. (Getty Images)
New Jersey’s learning standards state that a board’s education must include instruction about the economic, political and social contributions persons with disabilities and lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people in their curriculum. This is part of the implementation of the state’s learning standard.
Parents have previously criticised the district’s school board regarding the curriculum on gender identity. This was at an Oct. 19, school board meeting, where a lawyer for board stated in his interpretation of law that parents don’t have the right decide what is taught at their child’s school.
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Lawyer John Comegno stated that parents have the right to “not dictate what their children learn, but to decide where they go,” at the time.
The Garden State does NOT have a school voucher program that would allow parents access to public funds for their child’s education for tuition at another school.
FOX News Digital’s senior fellow, Corey DeAngelis of American Federation for Children, stated that the defenders of the government school monopoly believe that they have the right and authority to raise their children in any way they choose. It’s a flawed philosophical position that most people find backwards. The government does not have the right to educate children. Parents have the right and the best place to educate their children.
An empty classroom in an elementary school. (FNC)
He said that “the main problem with the government school system, which is a one-size fits all disaster, will never meet the needs for every family,” he explained. ” Parents have different views on how they want to raise their children. That’s okay. Problem is that people with special interests can dictate how other people raise their children in the current system.
DeAngelis stated that funding students directly is the only way out of this mess. He also suggested that families should be empowered to choose the best education provider for them and their values.
“Also, competition will give public school an incentive to concentrate on the basics because most parents want to see their children get an education and not indoctrination.”
U.S. Democrat Rep. Andy Kim represents the district, having defeated Republican challenger Bob Healey during the midterm election. FOX News Digital’s Healey stated that Kim is “as radical as they come when it comes to issues involving our children and our schools.”
Healey stated that Healey supports sex education for kindergartners and biological males in girls sports, and believes parents who attend school board meetings for their children’s education are ‘extremists’.
FOX News Digital reached out to Kim’s office for clarification but was not able to reach him.
The Garden State does have no school voucher program. This would allow parents to use funds that they have designated for their children’s education for tuition at another school. (iStock)
Pepper Evans, Michelle King, and Amanda Santos were all re-elected to the Lawrence Township School Board. They won against challengers who were critical of the board’s work and the curriculum.
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“School choice is the only method to ensure parental rights in education.” DeAngelis cited data from the U.S. Census Bureau to say that New Jersey’s public schools received funding of over $24,000 per student in 2020. “This money should be given directly to families in order for them to find the best education providers for their children.”
The Oct. 19 school board meeting saw a Lawrence Township teacher in the first grade wearing a “Columbus Was A Murderer” T-shirt. This happened shortly after Columbus Day, despite New Jersey’s large Catholic population.
FOX News Digital reached out to the Lawrence Township Board of Education for clarification.
