FROM STEVE DNISTRIAN FOR NJ SENATE: 5 Things All Families in New Jersey Should Know about Parents' Rights in Schools

COLTS NECK, N.J., Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new poll from Monmouth University reports that 77% of New Jersey residents, including a majority of Democrats, think parents should be notified if their child seeks to change their gender on school records; 75% oppose teaching gender education in elementary school; and a resounding 81% of parents want schools to notify parents if their kids raise questions about their sexual identity. Nearly eight in 10 New Jersey residents of color (79%) support parental notification.

"Parents are angry about the state pushing sex and gender education onto children as young as 5 years old, and they're shocked to learn that the state is suing local school boards to block parental notification," said Steve Dnistrian, a first-time candidate running for state senate in Monmouth County's 11^th Legislative District (LD-11). "Now, parents, grandparents and school boards are pushing back with fury and passion to protect the innocence of their children."

 Here are five things to know about the parents' rights issue in NJ: 

1. The state is currently suing three local school boards to prevent parents from being notified should their children – as young as 5, 6 or 7 -- want to change their sexual identity while in school.
   
   
   
   
2. Sex and gender education have been mandated across the state for elementary school children as young as 5 years old, initiated by a law originally co-sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
   
   
   
   
3. Gopal stood by as the state recently directed school districts to permit young boys into girls' sports and girl's bathrooms, and vice versa, and has directed sex-specific pronouns be removed as much as possible ("he," "she").
   
   
   
   
4. In the last legislative session, Gopal refused to support a "Parents' Bill of Rights" designed to protect the rights of families in schools.
   
    
5. In Monmouth County's LD-11, more than $70 million has been cut from large school districts, resulting in teacher layoffs, cuts in resources and increases in classroom sizes.

"It's hard to believe, but the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee recently called the parents' rights issue a 'manufactured political message,'" Dnistrian said. "Clearly, this issue is real. Parents are saying: 'We love our children. We want to know about everything that's going on in their lives.'  Yet, elected officials in Trenton refuse to listen.

"As a father of three, and someone who has never run for public office before, it was issues like this one that caused me to get involved," Dnistrian said. "It's clear that we need more commonsense in government and more constituent input before policies like these are advanced.

"In this particular case, the solution isn't all that complicated," he said. "Parents should ALWAYS be involved, just like they've been for generations. I encourage all parents to take an active role with their school boards and school officials, so everyone knows exactly where you stand when it comes to your children and these issues.

"In this situation, we're talking about young children – babies who are just 5, 6 and 7 years old," he said. "As a father, I believe we need to let kids be kids. We need to keep them focused on learning fundamentals and surrounded with their families. We also need to let them experience the joys of childhood, just like we did."   

Steve Dnistrian is a first-time candidate running for the NJ state senate in LD-11. The election takes place this November. Visit www.SteveforNJ.com. Paid for by Steve for Senate, Ron Gravino, Treasurer.

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SOURCE STEVE for Senate