Linda Gronert, of Ocean City, speaks out against the new curriculum.
District officials say students can ‘opt out’ of sex ed classes
Following two lengthy, back-to-back executive sessions involving personnel matters, hiring and potential litigation, the Ocean City Board of Education Wednesday, Aug. 24, fielded questions and comments from residents who pleaded with the board to vote no to the new state standards they say provides more explicit sex education.
Linda Gronert, of Ocean City, a retired teacher, urged the district to vote against the new curriculum.
“To introduce these standards containing sexual content to children who do not have the wisdom or understanding to digest its concepts and implications could be harmful,” Gronert said. “I hope that the school board will consider not adding to the many things out there that are contributing to the stripping away the innocence of our youth.”
However, after comments from the public seeking the board voted yes 6-5 to approve the curriculum.
Lauren Guenther, who is the district’s curriculum coordinator and is in charge of student services, said during her presentation that the parents may opt out of the specific education.
“I understand, as a parent, there are many concerns,” she said.
Parents and other stakeholders in the community suggested that if other students still have that specific education, it will be a part of the district curriculum that the students would hear and know about even if their parents opted out of that portion of the new curriculum.
Cape May County Commissioner E. Marie Hayes, a parent and an Ocean City resident, is angered by the affirmative vote by the board involving the curriculum.
After the vote, Cape May County Commissioner E. Marie Hayes, an Ocean City resident, said, “I am devastated for what I am seeing. As a mother, I can tell you without a doubt, if my kids were in this school, they would be taken out of the school. You have made a big mistake.”
She agreed with another speaker, Janice Weber, who described the new curriculum as “oversexualizing children.”
Hayes added that she could not believe, despite all of the parents urging the board to vote against the curriculum, that they still voted for it.
In a statement released on Thursday, Superintendent Matthew Friedman explained in more detail the revised curriculum.
“We amended our health and physical education curriculum with a team of teachers and administrators with the goal of compliance with the minimum requirements,” Friedman said in the statement. “We made revisions in a thoughtful manner and want our school families to be involved.”
The health and physical education standards are posted on the district’s website for parents to review at oceancityschools.org.
The amended curriculum and supporting documents will be posted in September. Teachers are preparing lessons to meet these new learning goals in an age-appropriate manner, the release states.
“We respect every parent’s personal choices concerning their child’s health education,” said Patrick Kane, board president. “Although we will assure lessons are planned in an age-appropriate manner, parents can always opt-out of a specific part of the health curriculum. The opt-out option exemplifies our commitment to collaborate with our Ocean City families and we will continue to provide that option as education evolves.”
Parent meetings regarding the revised health programs will be held at district schools in September.
Ryan Leonard, of Ocean City, is sworn in by School Business Administrator Tim Kelley to fill an unexpired term on the board vacated by Michael James.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Ryan Leonard of Ocean City was sworn in to fill the unexpired term of Michael James, who relocated. Leonard will serve in his appointed seat through December, according to Business Administrator Tim Kelley. That seat will be up for election for an additional one-year unexpired term in the November election.
In another matter, Friedman gave a brief report about freshman orientation. He noted that the orientation was successful and the district is ready to welcome back its students for another year on Sept. 6.
“We welcomed new staff in the district and were able to spend some time with them this week,” he said, adding that it went very well.
