Do New Jersey's new sex education standards go too far? Some say yes

New Jersey has adopted new sex education standards that will expand what students are taught about relationships, pregnancy and consent, but also includes updates on the controversial topics of abortion and gender identity.

The state Board of Education approved the standards for health and physical education in an 8-4 vote last week. Advocates hailed the state's move, saying the changes would promote student safety, health and inclusiveness.

“Providing New Jersey’s students with thorough and inclusive health and physical education is the first step to creating a safer Garden State," Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said in a statement. "Comprehensive sexual health education is a proven protective factor against sexual violence and essential to young people’s health and safety."

Some critics and board members objected, saying the standards would violate parents' rights to teach about sensitive subjects. Board member Andrew Mulvihill pointed to a change in language around abortion. Previous standards mentioned legal rights of abortion; the new standards cite it as an option for pregnancy.

"I don’t think teachers should be telling kids that one of the things you can do if you get pregnant is to have an abortion," Mulvihill said at a May 3 meeting when the resolution was adopted. "There are a lot of people who fundamentally believe that is not something that should be taught."

State Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet said local school boards would decide which curriculum and material to use to teach the new standards. He countered criticism by saying that parents have the right to opt out of certain instruction for their children.

Dan Rice, executive director of Answer, a national sexual education organization based at Rutgers University, said one of the biggest changes was the shift to inclusive language that takes into account sexual orientation and gender identity. 

"We know a lot of young people who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender often say they don't feel reflected in the language," he said. "By not assuming [gender] identities, we are bringing them back into the fold."

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The standards, which outline what students should know by grade level, also better reflect modern-day concerns about technology, including safe and legal use of social media and awareness of cyberbullying and sexting.

The new guidelines also update lessons on consent — a growing concern after the rise of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and violence. Schools should teach how young people should communicate personal boundaries and how to call attention to an uncomfortable or dangerous situation, under the standards.

"You can teach as early as kindergarten that it's OK if you do not want to hug somebody," Rice said.

The standards call for schools to identify factors that are important in deciding to engage in sexual behaviors; to develop plans for pregnancy and disease prevention; to teach about different methods of getting pregnant; to identify contraceptive methods including abstinence and condom use. The level of specificity doesn't sit well with some critics.

Shawn Hyland, director of advocacy for the Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey, said parents were outraged that their children "are continually being oversexualized."

"The decision of the NJDOE to adopt age-inappropriate extreme sexual content is a gross failure of responsibility," he said in an email. 

"Tragically, schools have become obsessed with graphic sexual lessons and reading assignments that promote unhealthy and risky behaviors," Hyland said.

School districts will be expected to adopt curriculum and materials that reflect the new standards by fall 2022.

Just 24 states, including New Jersey, make it mandatory for schools to teach sex education. 

The updated curriculum reflects a wide effort in the Murphy administration to roll out more progressive educational standards. At the May 3 meeting, the New Jersey board also voted to require schools to teach about climate change — becoming the first state to do so.

In 2019, New Jersey became the second state, after California, to mandate curriculum that acknowledges the social, political and economic contributions of the LGBTQ community.

Hannan Adely is an education and diversity reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: adely@northjersey.com Twitter: @adelyreporter