- New Jersey state law does mandate the teaching of medically accurate sexuality education though, when it is taught, it must stress abstinence.
- All sex ed curricula must include instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- All sex ed curricula must also include instruction on consent.
- Any lessons concerning the use of contraceptives or prophylactics such as condoms must also include information on their failure rates for preventing pregnancy, HIV, and other STDs.
- New Jersey allows parents or guardians to remove their children from sex education classes if they are “in conflict with [their] conscience, or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs.” This is referred to as an opt-out policy.
- School districts must align their health education curricula with the New Jersey Department of Education’s Core Curriculum Content Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, which requires that “all students will acquire knowledge about the physical, emotional, and social aspects of human relationships and sexuality…”
Some Sex Ed Advocates Within the State
- Thrive NJ
- ACLU New Jersey
- answer
- Garden State Equality
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey
- The Center for Sex Education
For more detailed information on how various districts in the state have been implementing these standards — and for recent legislation — you can read SIECUS’s New Jersey profile.