To the attention of: Dr. Charles Seipp, and the 2022 Roxbury Township Board of Education,

Concerned citizens of Roxbury respectfully demand the rejection of:

• The adoption of the 2020 NJSL Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards within our curriculum
• Gender Ideologies such as “Non-Binary” gender, “Gender Binary” defined as a social system, and “Gender Assigned at Birth” within any aspects of our curriculum
• The teaching of or exposure to these ideologies as well as pornographic images (including illustrated images), masturbation, oral sex, or anal sex within any aspects of our curriculum.

Many have agreed that the 2020 NJSL Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards should be rejected as it would be irresponsible and negligent of the Board of Education to implement these standards, as currently written, within our curriculum  It is agreed that all children should be safe and included at school, however these standards fall far short of providing such an environment on many levels.  Most notably, core ideas such as, “Non-Binary” gender, “Gender Binary” defined as a social system, and “Gender Assigned at Birth” all conflict with biology, and as of now are completely unfounded and unproven as being factual. For these reasons, these ideals should be excluded from the public-school curriculum and left to be matters of family and personal discovery.  They are not age appropriate, and they are certainly not content appropriate. 

Here are three specific standards that are not age appropriate nor content appropriate.

2.1.5.PGD.4: Explain common human sexual development and the role of hormones (e.g., romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, timing of pubertal onset). 

 2.1.5.SSH.2: Differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity.

 2.1.8.SSH.9: Define vaginal, oral, and anal sex.

These should not even be standards and make many adults uncomfortable discussing publicly. The physical education/health teacher can teach our students about sexual feelings? There is nothing appropriate about these.

Parents handle these situations differently and we do not judge how they choose to handle THEIR OWN CHILDREN. That does not make it appropriate for a school to introduce all our children to potentially dangerous ideologies. You are not to teach these topics to our children under the overused, predictable guise of “bully prevention.”  Improve your handling of bullying investigations and leave the rest to parents.  Have some foresight and understand the road this may lead our children down.  

Public-schools are required to teach subject matters that fall within the boundaries of substantiated facts, and anything else can be interpreted as beliefs; be it political or religious.   Under the “Establishment” clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and in line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings, the first religion clause says government and its agencies are prohibited from establishing or requiring religion, including official attempts to impose or instill any beliefs in students. 

From what we've witnessed around the State of New Jersey, it's not just the opinion of “a few.”  It’s not a Republican or a Democrat opinion.  It's the opinion of those that want to protect their children from inappropriate topics. Some of those topics should be left for the parents to choose whether or not to even discuss them. That’s called parental choice. No public institution has the right to overstep the legal rights of parents. By doing so, the result is our “public schools” becoming private schools that are funded with tax-dollars.

We are urging all those involved in writing and approving Roxbury’s curriculum to omit sensitive and speculative subject matter. If the subject matter is speculative and mostly inappropriate in any/every setting, then it is certainly not appropriate for the classroom with unknowing and impressionable students. 

The sexual education standards have always been based around science and reproduction, not pleasure and political ideologies.  You may choose to make an open statement as several districts have done, to ease parental concerns. To make the job easier a written resolution has been provided. If it is attention from the state that you fear and choose not to make a public statement, find a way to reach out and inform us that you will not include the aforementioned standards, or we will assume you intend to create curriculum around them and will continue to express our disapproval. 

 If any “trusted adult” discusses masturbation, sexual feelings, romantic feelings or gender identity outside of gender expression (i.e stereotypes about girl vs boy activities, appearances, careers, etc) with our children without explicit parental consent, the end result will not be favorable.