5 minute read

Curriculum - See

Continued From Page 1 Before that, it was up to districts to use their own discretion in developing how they wanted to handle different subject areas. The provision for standardization is directly related to the state’s provision of fi nancial support. Standards go through a revision process every fi ve years and include a series of public hearings throughout the state. The new guidelines were actually adopted in June 2020. While media reports have targeted model lesson plans prepared by third parties, Barbiere emphasized that the State of New Jersey does not endorse any of them. One of the Core Ideas of the new mandates says that by the end of second grade, children should learn that every individual has unique skills and qualities, which can be seen in diff erent ways. The Performance Expectation includes a discussion of the range of ways people express their gender and how gender-role stereotypes may limit behavior. “I can certainly imagine a case where a fi rst-grade teacher is reading with children about a fi refi ghter,” shared Barbiere. “The fi refi ghter might be depicted as a man, and the teacher could say that women can be fi refi ghters, too.” According to Barbiere, this could satisfy the curriculum mandate without further explanation. The concepts that resonated with Barbiere were those involving healthy relationships, positive self-worth, and the idea of respect so that everyone felt safe and welcome in school. Sandra Churney, who sits on the Barnegat Board of Education, shared her thoughts as a parent. She felt the 66-page document off ered by the state was vague and wanted more specifi cs about the proposed curriculum. “This should not be taught in elementary school at any level,” Churney said. “You can sugarcoat it any way you want. All kids should be accepted; all kids should be welcomed. That’s common sense.” Churney also said that if the district really wanted parental involvement, they needed to hold additional sessions to discuss the proposed materials. She pointed out that there were a lot more parents and students, and the group who attended was not representative of enough of them. “Are we going to get dittos of the curriculum since you said the state doesn’t give you that?” asked Churney. “Does that mean we’re coming up with the curriculum?” Barbiere confi rmed the district would be responsible for coming up with a curriculum that conformed with the state mandates in accordance with the community’s values and expectations. Churney pressed Barbiere to be more specifi c in what children would be taught, as she feared they would be exposed to some “crazy” things and leave the district open to a lawsuit. As she listened to another parent discuss the diff erent roles children take on in playing, she off ered another concern of hers. “Let’s hope the teacher doesn’t want her to go on (hormone) blockers because she’s a tomboy,” said Churney. Some news outlets claim that public schools plan to teach students as young as ten that hormone blockers are acceptable in managing puberty. The local school district is under no obligation to adopt sample lesson plans that go in that direction. John Germano, Director of Athletics & Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, attempted to provide further clarifi cation of the updated curriculum. He fi rst pointed out that many of the issues raising concerns are already taught in the schools. “It’s not a forty-minute drill and skill on every aspect of every single component that goes along with it,” said Germano. “As an example, at a lower level, we will be touching on that it’s acceptable for kids to dress the way they want to dress.” “No teacher has ever influenced the sexual agenda on a child here,” Germano emphasized. “This isn’t new. It is that just there are a couple of buzzwords that the state wants us to focus on and it is upsetting to some, including me.” Germano admitted not all of the teachers might be on board with the state requirements, but they will be expected to share information in a tolerable way. It will be up to the teachers to design lesson plans with their supervisors and their curriculum. Some of the lessons could be integrated as part of other coursework. “I have a son who is in second grade right now,” Casey Jordan shared. “I’m under the assumption that we can sign a document that my son can be removed from these lessons.” Jordan wanted to know how her son would be protected if something came up in a classroom activity that she didn’t want her son to hear. “Love is love and gender love, which is fi ne with me,” Jordan said. “I just don’t feel it’s fi ne at this age group.” Other parents agreed with Jordan and said they did not want the school to teach things they felt kids should learn at home. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Latwis interrupted the discussions to provide some input, and addressed suggestions that the district go against the state mandates. “This is no different than when we navigated masks or navigated testing,” shared Latwis. “These things are handed down from the state, and if you disagree with those things, I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong for disagreeing. There are things in here (the new curriculum) that I don’t particularly like as a parent either. However, this is not the platform to debate the standards in the sense of their appropriateness.” Latwis suggested that those who had issues with the changes should contact their local legislators to voice their complaints. Whether parents agreed or disagreed with the state’s requirements were equivalent to saying they shouldn’t be subjected to receiving a speeding ticket on a road where they believed the speed limit should be faster. It was up to other authorities to make those determinations. “From our perspective, what we’re trying

(Curriculum - See Page 5)

This article is from: