The New Jersey School Boards Association has reported that two bills it supported in the legislative process have been signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy.
According to the NJSBA, the following bills were enacted by the governor:
• Sexual Consent Instruction will require a school district to incorporate instruction in grades six through 12 on the law and meaning of consent for physical contact and sexual activity as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in comprehensive health and physical education.
The instruction is to be designed to increase discussion and awareness that consent is required before physical contact or sexual activity, and it also increases awareness of the social, emotional and relational impact surrounding sexuality, the right to say no to unwanted physical contact or sexual activity, and the virtues of respecting the right of others to say no. The law goes into effect for the 2019-20 school year, according to the NJSBA.
• LGBT Instruction requires every board of education in New Jersey to provide instruction on the political, economic and social contributions of persons with disabilities, and of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
The New Jersey law is modeled on a law that was adopted in California, the “Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act.” The law takes effect at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, according to the NJSBA.