Students are continuing to pay the price for Governor Phil Murphy’s 2022 move to purge political opponents (defined as anyone who doesn’t rubber stamp his radical ideas) on the New Jersey State Board of Education.
On Wednesday, the Board voted narrowly – 6 in favor and 5 against – to eliminate gendered nouns and pronouns from the “Managing for Equality and Equity in Education” Chapter of the state’s Administrative Code. The Board also nixed mentions to “equality,” renaming the Chapter “Managing for Equity in Education.”
What’s more, New Jersey schools can no longer block schools from segregating boys and girls based on biological sex in many settings which opens the door for biological boys to compete in girls’ sports. A Gallup poll from June found a supermajority of Americans – 70% – believing that biological sex should dictate sports participation as opposed to “gender identity.”
“Title IX was adopted to prevent discrimination and protect biological girls in women’s sports to give them a fair playing field. The State Board of Education’s adoption of language promoting gender identity over biological sex is an indication that the protections of Title IX are slowly eroding for girls playing women’s sports,” said state Senator Mike Testa (R-1), sponsor of the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” (S-589) which would bar biological males form women’s sports competition. “We have a responsibility to act now to protect our daughters from these disastrous policies that are taking fair opportunities away from female competitors to train, win, and succeed. I urge my colleagues in the Legislature to support the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act so we can protect women’s sports and preserve the Title IX.”
The Murphy Administration is currently suing three Monmouth County school districts which defied state guidance by adopting pro-parent policies; specifically, directing school personnel to inform parents if a child is trying to use a different name, pronouns, or bathroom than the one which corresponds with their biological birth identity.
Dissent is no longer tolerated in the Garden State education establishment. Last fall, Murphy replaced three state board members – Mary Elizabeth Gazi, Mary Beth Berry, and Andrew Mulvihill – who voted against his preferred state standards to sexualize New Jersey’s K-12 curriculum.
“All kids deserve the opportunity to succeed in-and-out of the classroom but the best way to ensure this success is by bringing their parents, teachers, and local school administrators together, not by driving a wedge between them. Today’s State Board of Education vote unfortunately drives a wedge further between these groups,” said Anthony Bucco (R-25), the GOP’s Senate caucus leader. “Students are falling behind from pandemic-related learning loss and instead of prioritizing reading, writing, and math, the State Board is infusing progressive identity politics into the classroom. Parents are rightfully concerned about what’s being taught to their children and deserve to have a voice in their local school communities. We do not need government bureaucrats substituting on their behalf.”
