New Jersey's new broader sex education guidelines under Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy include controversial measures aimed at public school students in fifth grade and lower.
Resource materials for the state's sex education curriculum include videos about masturbation and sexual orientation.
State Sen. Holly Schepisi, a Republican who was sent sample lesson plans given to parents at the Westfield Board of Education's Feb. 22 meeting, shared the materials on Dropbox and said they were "completely overboard with cringey detail for young kids," Fox News reported.
"I truly think New Jersey has lost its damn mind," Schepisi wrote, Fox News reported.
Under New Jersey's guidelines that will take effect in September, public school students as young as second grade will be getting lessons related to gender identity.
Also, students as young as 10 could be taught that puberty-blocking drugs are an acceptable way to "manage" puberty and that masturbating "a few times a day" is a healthy way to relieve stress, Fox News reported.
One proposed lesson for fifth grade is called "It's All about the Hormones," and it 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, Fox News reported.
Another sample lesson for fifth graders pushes AMAZE videos concerning the subject of puberty and sexual anatomy. One video 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 wriggling under a blanket until he finishes and grabs a tissue.
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, Fox reported. "In fact, you may find yourself thinking about people of the same sex and of the opposite sex and be unsure."
A Westfield Public Schools spokesperson told Fox News the teaching materials were a "sample list of resources" and were not official policy.
Former Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., blamed Murphy.
"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. "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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