Governor Murphy says he has ordered the New Jersey Department of Education to “review the standards and provide further clarification” on what will be taught to young elementary school children in the new school year this fall, after a national outcry over plans to teach children as young as 7 about gender identity.
“Unfortunately, our learning standards have been intentionally misrepresented by some politicians seeking to divide and score political points,” Murphy said in a statement. “At the same time, we have seen a handful of sample lesson plans being circulated that have not been adopted in our school districts and do not accurately reflect the spirit of the standards. Any proposed educational content that is not age-appropriate should be immediately revised by local officials.”
“To this end, I have directed my Department of Education to review the standards and provide further clarification on what age-appropriate guidelines look like for our students. My Administration is committed to ensuring that all of our students are equipped to lead healthy, productive lives now and in the future.”
Democratic Senator Vin Gopal, who serves as chairman on the Senate Education Committee, applauded Murphy’s decision to review the guidelines.
“Happy to see they are moving on this and I look forward to seeing this happen quickly and comprehensively,” Gopal said in a statement posted to Facebook.
The move comes after protests from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the plans to teach young children about things that should be left to parents.
“This is clearly a subject that is very sensitive, and by sensitive nature in itself, should be left to the home, to the parents,” said State Senator Ed Durr.
“It’s been clear for many years that left-wing groups view our children’s classrooms as a battleground they need to conquer to control the thinking of the next generation,” State Senator Michael Doherty said.
