NJ sample lesson plans push videos for 5th graders on graphic sex-related content

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New Jersey parents rip gender identity lessons for first graders: 'It's concerning'

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy speaks to concerned parents who are speaking out against New Jersey’s new sex education curriculum.

New Jersey public school students as young as 10 could be taught that puberty blockers are an acceptable way to "manage" puberty and that masturbating "a few times a day" is a healthy way to relieve stress, according to sample lesson plans being reviewed by state school districts.

New Jersey public school students as young as second grade will be getting lessons related to gender identity under state sex education guidelines that will take effect in September. Multiple sample lesson plans, which were given to parents at the Westfield Board of Education's Feb. 22 meeting, appear to be reflective of the state's new, broader sex education curriculum. 

NEW JERSEY TO REQUIRE 2ND GRADERS LEARN ABOUT GENDER IDENTITY IN FALL, ALARMING PARENTS

State Sen. Holly Schepisi, a Republican who was sent the materials by concerned parents, shared the materials on Dropbox and said they are "completely overboard with cringy detail for young kids."

Phil Murphy, the Democratic nominee for governor of New Jersey, arrives to vote in Middletown, New Jersey, on Nov. 7, 2017. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

One of the proposed lesson plans for fifth grade, called "It’s All about the Hormones," requires students to watch an animated video by the organization AMAZE called, "Puberty and Transgender Youth." 

"Whether you identify as male, female, gender queer or something else, you're perfectly normal, and there are lots of ways to manage puberty so that it can be a fun, exciting time rather than a scary or stressful one," the video says.

"If you feel you want more time to explore how you feel about your gender before your body starts to change, it's important to talk with a parent, counselor, therapist or doctor about the feelings you have regarding your gender," the video states. "After some discussion and counseling, you may be referred to an endocrinologist. Endocrinologists specialize in hormones, and they're the most likely to prescribe puberty blockers for someone who wants them. Puberty blockers are medications that will stop your body from changing."

Another sample lesson plan for fifth graders pushes AMAZE videos concerning the subject of puberty and sexual anatomy. One of the videos, called, "Masturbation: Totally Normal," teaches kids that masturbating up to "a few times a day" is a "physically safe way to express sexual feelings." The animated video shows a boy dropping his pants and writhing under a blanket until he finishes and grabs a tissue. A similar video targeting girls promotes masturbation as "a way to relieve stress" and shows a young girl examining herself with a hand-held mirror.

Another sample lesson plan for fifth graders, called "What is Love Anyway?," instructs students to watch an AMAZE video about sexual orientation.

"While many people know their sexual orientation at a very young age, it is also common at this age to feel confused about your thoughts and feelings regarding who you find attractive," the video says. "In fact, you may find yourself thinking about people of the same sex and of the opposite sex and be unsure."

A spokesperson for Westfield Public Schools told Fox News Digital last week that the teaching materials were a "sample list of resources" aligned with state policy and were not official policy.

"During a presentation at the Feb. 22 Board of Education meeting, we provided an update on the district’s work to revise the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education curriculum," Superintendent Dr. Raymond González said. "The presentation included a sample list of resources aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards to be considered as school districts work on revisions to the health and PE curriculum.

"We made it clear at the meeting and subsequent meetings that these are resources only – they are not state-mandated – and that the district is in the process of developing its revised curriculum to meet state standards," the superintendent added.

The superintendent did not respond to Fox News Digital's request Monday for comment on the videos.

Republicans like Schepisi say the proposed lesson plans go too far.

"I truly think New Jersey has lost its damn mind," she wrote.

Concerning the broader state plan to teach kids as young as 7 about gender identity, starting this fall, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said it’s "just a further indication of the crazy liberal policies of my successor, Phil Murphy."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership meeting on Nov. 6, 2021, in Las Vegas. (llen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

"He's on the left of the progressive movement, and this kind of stuff just should not be going on," Christie told Fox News Radio on Friday. "But the fact is that the individual school districts in New Jersey feel empowered by the people who are now in charge of education. Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey and his, you know, the people he's absolutely beholden to the teachers union and the mayor in New Jersey. Those are the people who are running the show now, and it's just wrong."

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Gov. Murphy told Fox News on Monday that parents should "absolutely" have a say in their kids’ education but that "some are using this as an opportunity to score political points and to further divide us – us vs. them – and I say that on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ communities."

The Democratic governor pointed out that the new standards on gender identity were voted on two years ago by the state's board of education and will be mandated this fall, but that he was "absolutely" open to hearing from people who think the standards "need to be adjusted or altered."

Fox News’ Jeremy Copas and Houston Keene contributed reporting.