In Monmouth County, Governor Phil Murphy and his supported candidate for New Jersey Senate Vin Gopal have it all wrong when it comes to parental rights in schools. Democrats in New Jersey are pushing full steam ahead to keep parents out of the classroom and to keep their children’s actions away from parents.
A recent Monmouth University poll highlights a stark divide between New Jersey residents and the Murphy administration on issues surrounding parental rights in education. The poll reports that 77% of state residents believe parents should be notified if their child seeks to change gender on school records. Additionally, 75% oppose teaching gender education at the elementary school level.
The findings show strong bipartisan support for parental notification on questions of sexual identity, with 81% of parents supporting a mandate for schools to notify them. This includes 61% of Democrats, 81% of Independents, and 92% of Republicans. Support also stands at 79% among New Jersey residents of color.
These poll results have been cited as evidence that Governor Murphy and his administration are out of step with the majority of New Jersey residents. Among the contentious actions taken by the Murphy administration are lawsuits against three local school boards to prevent parental notification and newly approved regulations that base sex ed classes and sports team participation on gender identity rather than biological sex.
Steve Dnistrian, a candidate for the New Jersey State Senate in Monmouth County’s 11th Legislative District, said, “The poll findings make it clear that the Murphy administration is badly out of touch with the will of the people and parents.” Dnistrian vowed to support parents’ rights “110%” and criticized the administration’s “troubling and blatant pattern of disregard for parents’ rights.”
“I applaud the increasing support for parents’ rights coming from state legislators, advocacy groups and parents from across the state. And I appreciate the court’s clear language stating that its preliminary injunction does not indicate how it will eventually rule on the case noted above. In the meantime, we will support parents’ rights 110%, even as Murphy, his attorney general and Gopal continue to demonstrate a troubling and blatant pattern of disregard for parents’ rights. When children raise serious questions about sexual identity or other issues while in school, we need to make sure they are surrounded with love and support from teachers, counselors and their parents.”
The divide comes as debates continue over how much influence parents should have over their children’s education, with parents calling for more input on curriculum choices. Advocacy groups and state legislators are increasingly pushing for policies that align with public opinion, even as legal battles persist.
Dnistrian is hoping to unseat Murphy ally Vin Gopal in the state’s 11th District. In recent weeks, Gopal called local residents concerned about wind farms and whale deaths, right wing conspiracy theorists.