Sex Ed Curriculum To Be Reviewed At Westfield School Board Meeting

WESTFIELD, NJ — The highly controversial sex education curriculum, that was recently updated by the state Department of Education, will be reviewed at the next Westfield school board meeting.

Superintendent Raymond González said at the May 15 Board of Education meeting that Assistant Superintendent Paul Pineiro will present an overview of the Comprehensive Health and P.E. curriculum at the Tuesday, June 14 meeting.

After the board distributed sample lesson plans, which outlined ways to teach students about gender identity, the "circle of life" and identifying male and female genitalia, at a meeting in early April, several parents expressed concerns about teaching these topics to young children.

Read more: New Sex Education Curriculum Sparks Debate Among Westfield Parents

González said Pineiro's presentation will take into account feedback that the district has received from parents and members of the community who have spoken at meetings and sent in emails.

He added that Pineiro will outline the district's opt-out policy in his presentation.

As the updated sex education curriculum has ignited a firestorm of controversy across the state, Gov. Phil Murphy stated that New Jersey law provides parents with the option to opt their children "out of any health lesson that they would rather discuss in the privacy of their own home."

As of yet, only one school district in the state has officially voted to reject the updated curriculum. Just around the corner from Westfield, Garwood's Board of Education voted 7-2 in favor of rejecting the updated curriculum at their May 17 meeting.

Read more: NJ Sex Education Curriculum Rejected By Garwood Board Of Education

González added that Pineiro's presentation will be accompanied by the first reading of the curriculum before it would get adopted at a subsequent meeting.

The sample lesson plans that the district released can be found here, and more details about the various sex education topics can be found on the New Jersey Department of Education's website.

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