Schepisi: School Districts Don’t Really Have a Choice on Sex Ed When Curriculum Mandates Are Handed Down by State Board of Education

Senator Holly Schepisi (R-39) responded to the State Board of Education’s refusal to reconsider or delay controversial new sex education standards that school districts have been mandated to enact through their curricula this fall:

“The Acting Commissioner of Education and certain State Board of Education members are being completely disingenuous when they say there’s no issue and it’s up to school districts to decide how to teach sex education. As they are well aware when they passed the new mandates under the cover of COVID in June 2020, their own resolution states that every school district SHALL adopt in full the standards they set forth. School districts do not have a real choice on sex education as evidenced by the curriculum mandates imposed on them by unelected bureaucrats in Trenton.

“This occurred with no transparency and well before educators, parents and local school boards had a say. From the outreach we’ve gotten from superintendents, teachers, board of education members and parents, it’s clear they feel completely blindsided by the new requirements that have been forced upon their districts with little to no guidance other than inappropriate links on the State’s website.

“The State Board of Education is far from a model of transparency or accessibility and that is likely by design to keep concerned parents from having their voices heard. I applaud the four State Board of Education members who stood up for parents and requested the State and their own Board revisit this issue. Unfortunately, their voices, like most parents’ voices, were not heard.”