Lawrence Township School District
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published November 3, 2022
During the Lawrence Township Board of Education meeting on October 19, 2022, the board’s attorney allegedly stated that parents have no authority over what their children learn in public schools.
The New York Post reports, “[S]chool board lawyer John Comegno gave his interpretation of the law at a recent board meeting, in which he said parents do not have a right to decide the curriculum schools teach to their children.” Comegno also said, “In public schools, we have curriculum that is aligned with New Jersey state learning standards.”
Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey published a document that informs parents and guardians of their legal rights when controversial topics are discussed in classrooms. The document says:
“N.J. teachers are required to teach abortion as a pregnancy outcome and…their legal rights to obtaining an abortion. This means the school will teach your child they can get an abortion at any age without parental knowledge or consent.”
“N.J. schools are required to teach that [LGBT] sexual relationships are safe and healthy options for adolescents and teach the normality of same-sex families to children in kindergarten and up.”
“N.J. is one of only 8 states that requires teaching 6th graders and up how to consent to sex.”
Lawrence Township School District utilizes a policy guide called A Parent’s Handbook to New Jersey Schools to answer questions such as, “What subjects do my children study in school?” An itemized list of subjects appears under elementary, middle school, and high school.
Although “health” is listed as a high school subject, there’s no formal definition or reference to course contents. Sex education and abortion classes are not found under any grade level in the guide.
According to the New York Times, Comegno told parents, “‘If there is a concern or a criticism about policy or learning standards in the state of New Jersey…Go to the NJDOE, talk to your elected officials — but not here. [School board members] are powerless when it comes to what the NJDOE says is required or not required.’”
Lawrence Township Public School District has 3,707 students enrolled in Pre-k through 12 across seven schools.
