School boards have been hosting heated meetings all year on how to implement the state’s new sex education standards this coming school year. The new standards are meant to be taught in an age-appropriate way and at the discretion of each school district but critics have called out topics like teaching gender identity to second graders among other aspects of proposed new lesson plans. The arguments continue, though the state has said it’s going forward with the curriculum.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Senate Republicans hosted an online forum on the issues. “If these materials were shown to your eight-year-old child by a neighbor, they would be charged with a Megan’s Law offense. Why is it then OK for the schools to adopt this into their curriculum, and then force it to be taught to your children?” said Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland).

Amanda Riccardi of Emerson said, “My parental rights have been violated, and my children’s innocence will soon follow, if a change isn’t made. Having a teacher, an adult, who is not my child’s parents discussing genitalia with them, up until the second grade, is something I thought I would never have to worry about in my lifetime.”

Democratic Sen. Vin Gopal of Monmouth County, pushed back, saying, “This has been a very well-orchestrated political campaign, not just here in New Jersey by Senate Republicans but it’s happened across the country. We’ve seen it, where for political purposes with elections coming up we’ve got politicians purposely misleading parents, thinking and trying to tell them that something is being taught in the classrooms that’s not.”