Parents Can Opt Students Out Of Sex Ed Curriculum In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — As concerns over the state's revised sex education curriculum standards grow, Bernards Township School officials are reminding parents they have the option to opt their students out.

"Parents certainly have the opportunity to choose whether or not their child is going to participate in curriculum related to the family life programming," said Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction Kristin Fox at the April 25 Board of Education(BOE) meeting.

Prior to the public comment session, Fox explained how the district addresses curriculum changes due to parents speaking at the April 11 meeting about the same topic.

The curriculum is written over the summer with the help of teachers and administrators by reviewing the standards and reviewing the available resources. It is then shared with the Board of Education Curriculum Committee who will review it and then once adopted be sent over to the full BOE.

"That would all happen before anything was implemented in the classroom. That’s a normal curriculum writing process that we use all the time and certainly, in this case, there would be some extra attention paid to where we share the updates or the changes publicly so everybody is fully aware of anything we may have fully revised in our curriculum to meet these new standards," said Fox.

Currently, the district is reviewing the state's new 66-page sex education curriculum before it is shared publicly in the fall.

"We would share it out with families through the school through SOS Express so people can review it well before anything is implemented," said Fox.

One parent, Sherry Nelson noted that when her children were in fifth grade they were given the lesson plan ahead of time and wondered if this practice was still in place.

Fox confirmed it is.

"The principals and/or teachers send home a letter of the current curriculum in advance of it being taught and parents can review it," said Fox. "That procedure is in place and the information on opting out. That hasn't changed. What's really being discussed is what we are going to do in regards to the new standards."

Multiple parents and grandparents expressed concerns over the curriculum, speaking publicly at the recent meeting.

"I am against this type of curriculum. I make no bones about it," said Angela Jane Byrne, who has two grandchildren in the school district.

She noted that she also has a 6-year-old grandchild in Virginia who still believes in leprechauns and the bunny rabbit.

"She does not need to know, specifically, her body parts. She is having fun being a child. For her to get this education at age 6 and 7 is an abomination. I am totally against this," said Byrne.

Cathy Hubert, a mother of six and grandparent of 14, also expressed concerns over what will be taught to students.

"We are putting filth into the neuropathways of their minds... It's abusive and it is evil," said Hubert to the Board. "Where do you stand? You have a moral responsibility to preserve the innocence of the child’s mind and the right of the parent to teach morals."

Fox assured parents that they are aware of the important decisions they needed to make when creating a curriculum and are keeping the community in mind.

"I can tell you we have a district of teachers who are not interested in scaring children or teaching them things they are not ready for," said Fox. "So the age appropriateness is the big task here and looking at what the state is asking us to do and figuring out how to do that as age-appropriate as we can. So we certainly have some big decisions with community input."

Board President Robin McKeon said they are still reviewing everything, using caution and "watching other districts."

Board member Karen Gray said the main takeaway was keeping the "community values in mind."

Board member Jennifer White also reminded parents that the curriculum will not be written until the summer. And with Gov. Phil Murphy's messages continuously changing, she said so may the standards by the time the district works on them.

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