Climate Change Taught In All NJ Schools Starting This Year

NEW JERSEY ? New Jersey is now the first state in the nation to incorporate climate change education across all K-12 classrooms, and it is starting to be taught now, in the 2022-23 school year.

First Lady Tammy Murphy led the push to make climate change a part of New Jersey's academic standards.

Starting this fall, New Jersey public school students will be taught "to understand how and why climate change happens and the impact it has on our local and global communities as well as to act in informed and sustainable ways," said the Department of Education.

Climate change will be incorporated across seven content areas:

• 21st Century Life and Careers
• Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
• Science
• Social Studies
• Technology
• Visual and Performing Arts
• World Languages

Climate change standards have also been added to mathematics and English language arts guidelines, according to the DOE and Gov. Phil Murphy's office.

However, the addition of climate change topics to math and language arts has not yet been approved; that is up for review this year.

Teaching about climate change was tied to Murphy's 2020 initiative to update New Jersey's sex education curriculum ? something that was met with backlash from some parents and lawmakers, who said parts of the new health/physical education learning standards were inappropriate.

Both the climate change curriculum and the health/phys. ed. curriculum were incorporated into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. These standards "outline what is taught in New Jersey?s public schools and set the foundation for school districts to craft instruction and curricula," according to the Department of Education.

Similar to the new sex education, climate change was supposed to start being taught in New Jersey schools in 2020, but the pandemic ? and closing of schools ? pushed it back to this year.

Monmouth County state Senator Gopal (D-NJ11) chairs the Senate Education Committee, and he supports teaching climate change in NJ schools.

?It is incredibly important that the next generation has a solid understanding of climate change from a young age,? said Gopal. ?Through this curriculum, we can give meaning to the rise of severe weather and extreme temperatures, while offering explanations on how we can address it and what they can do to help.?

Teaching about climate change was also strongly endorsed by the state teachers' union, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

?Once again, New Jersey is setting an example for the nation when it comes to preparing students to be informed, engaged citizens because of our diverse and inclusive standards and curriculum,? said NJEA president Sean Spiller. ?Few issues will have more impact on this generation of students throughout their lives than climate change. What they learn in school starting this year will help prepare them to address this challenging issue now and in the future."