News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: No, schools aren't teaching kindergartners about sex acts

Friday, August 20, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: No, schools aren't teaching kindergartners about sex acts

Aug 20, 2021

Good Friday morning!

Are sex acts being taught in school to New Jersey kindergartens?

The answer is no, of course not. But the executive director of the Republican State Committee said they were in a radio interview last week.

"Phil Murphy has mandated that kindergartners and elementary school students be taught about explicit sexual acts," Tom Szymanski said in a radio interview last Saturday with David Wildstein. "Kindergartners, David."

He's not the first to say that. How'd we get here? It's the product of months of people equating the LGBTQ teaching requirements with sex ed teaching requirements. To be clear, the sex ed curriculum requirements released in 2020 include more talk about LGBTQ people than the previous ones. And, yes, they do require eighth graders to be able to differentiate between vaginal, oral and anal sex by eighth grade. But no, there are no sex acts being taught to kindergartners.

The earliest example of this rhetoric I could find was a December amendment state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) attempted to make to a bill that Murphy ultimately signed requiring schools highlight "diversity of gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and religious tolerance" to students in grades K-12." Pennacchio's amendment said that schools "shall not provide instruction on sex education, including but not limited to, anal or oral sex, to any student age five years old or younger in connection with instruction on diversity and inclusion provided pursuant to the provisions of this act" — something that was never in the bill to begin with.

Read more about it here.

PROGRAMMING NOTE — Katherine Landergan will be your Playbook author next week as I take some time off. New Jersey Playbook will be on hiatus the following week, but I'll be working, and I will return to your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

WHERE'S MURPHY? Back from Italy but with no public schedule.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Kim Campaign's Michael Donaher, Higher Education Deputy Secretary Dianna Gonzalez, Gola Oak's Steve Klinghofer. Saturday for Bergen Commissioner Joan Voss, Hamilton Dem Chair Barbara Plumeri. Sunday for Rowan's Sean Kennedy.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This will be the hill our parents die on... Philip Murphy is not our baby daddy." — Toms River resident Rose Dunton, whose last name is Murphy's middle name, protesting the school mask mandate

HEADLINE OF THE DAY: "Wawa plans to build new Wawa across the street from a Wawa in Mantua" — An online headline from The Courier Post

WHAT TRENTON MADE

I HAVE AN ADVENT CALENDAR THAT LEADS UP TO MID-FEBRUARY — Cannabis Regulatory Commission approves initial rules for dispensaries, cultivators, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved its initial set of rules for the adult use industry on Thursday afternoon, setting in motion a timeline for when Garden State residents will finally be able to purchase bud at regulated dispensaries across the state. The five-member commission adopted the 160-page rule package by a 5-0 vote. It will take effect upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law. The vote caps a six-month blitz on the part of legislative leaders, administration officials and the newly formed commission to construct a regulatory framework in time to meet an Aug. 21 deadline set by a cannabis legalization law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in February. "Will these rules satisfy every interest? The honest answer is clearly no," Vice Chair Sam Delgado said shortly before the vote. "Some people will say we went too far, others will say we don't go far enough. Just as important, Thursday's vote triggered another provision of a marijuana legalization law, NJ A21 (20R), that requires the commission to set a date for when legal sales can commence for adults 21 and over — mid-February at the latest.

—" Over 63% of NJ towns block marijuana businesses, at least for now"

ANOTHER CAREER PATH CLOSED TO JAMEL HOLLEY — "Murphy to announce N.J. teachers must be vaccinated for COVID, sources say," by NJ Advance Media's Matt Arco and Susan K. Livio: "New Jersey would be the third state behind California and Washington to enact such a mandate. Two sources with knowledge of Murphy's plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the announcement is imminent. It wasn't immediately clear whether Murphy would allow teachers to opt out of getting vaccinated in exchange for regular testing, which is being done in California. Washington, meanwhile, is requiring teachers and staff to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment. Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, said he has not yet seen the policy, but supports the mandate. He said he hopes it will also include child care workers and and pre-school teachers."

SORRY, DEPT OF AGRICULTURE. NO MARKETING 'JERSEY FRESH' TOMATOES IN ITALY — Murphy administration directs high-level officials not to travel out-of-state on business, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Gov. Phil Murphy's administration has directed cabinet members and other high-level state officials not to travel out-of-state on official business as COVID surges, according to three sources with knowledge of the directive. It's not clear exactly when the directive, which came in the form of a memo, was issued. But word has been circulating in political circles over the last two days, as Murphy was in Italy. A conservative blogger, Matt Rooney, tweeted that "His Most Royal Majesty has BANNED his own cabinet from out-of-state business travel. That's life working for New Jersey's biggest hypocrite!" Murphy is scheduled to return from his family vacation at his Italian estate on Thursday afternoon. The directive did not ban personal travel.

—"NJ parent group asks Murphy to permit students to go to school virtually from now on"

—"Many N.J. kids will be getting laptops again this year — just in case schools go remote"

—New Jersey recovers $6.5M in Medicaid overpayments

—New Jersey adds 14,600 jobs; unemployment rate climbs to 7.3 percent

INTRODUCING OTTAWA PLAYBOOK : Join the growing community of Politicos — from lawmakers and leaders to pollsters, staffers, strategists and lobbyists — working to shape Canada's future. Every day, our reporting team pulls back the curtain to shed light on what's really driving the agenda on Parliament Hill, the true players who are shaping politics and policy across Canada, and the impact it all has on the world. Don't miss out on your daily look inside Canadian politics and power. Subscribe to Ottawa Playbook today.

BIDEN TIME

—Mottola Jaborska: "Our congressional problem solver has created a problem"

—"NJ Rep. Josh Gottheimer faces protests over budget stance "

—"Sen. Cory Booker endorses Birmingham [Alabama] Mayor Randall Woodfin"

LOCAL

TOMS RIVER MAYOR MO HILL: 'PLEASE DIE ON SOMEONE ELSE' — "'This will be the hill our parents die on': Toms River pushes back on school mask mandate," by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "Speaking at the start of a Board of Education meeting Wednesday that was attended by many parents who oppose the mask mandate, board President Joseph Nardini announced that the board would be sending a letter to the governor asking him to allow individual districts to decide their own mask policy … Many in the crowd applauded loudly after the letter was read into the record, although some questioned why the board had waited so long to ask the governor to rescind his order. Several parents said they would consider withdrawing their children from the district if Toms River Regional continues to mandate masks. Others urged the district to defy the mask mandate. 'COVID is not our threat, but unchecked power is,' said Toms River resident Sergio Fossa. '… Defy the governor, defy his law. … Go to court, stand your ground, go to jail. … This is a war … because the prevailing powers have declared war against us.' Rose Dunton, of Toms River, said many parents have no intention of complying with the mask mandate, which she described as a 'tyrannical' order by the governor. 'This will be the hill our parents die on,' Dunton said. 'Philip Murphy is not our baby daddy.'"

ASSET MONETIZATION — " City issued utilities authority tax warning over private equity, asks county to intervene," by The Daily Journal's Joseph P. Smith: "[Bridgeton] City leaders are warning the Cumberland County Utilities Authority that its property tax-exempt status is in jeopardy, if it keeps pursuing an idea to surrender financial control to an investment firm in return for a lump cash sum. The 'monetization' concept surfaced, publicly, at a CCUA board meeting in June. The idea has torn apart the board, with some members cut out of initial talks with an interested equity firm. There also is fierce pushback from authority customers, municipal governments, and workers. The major concern is that sewerage rates, already considered high, would increase with ruinous effect on rate payers."

TEANECK — "Foiled once again in attempt to move local elections, Teaneck petitioners file suit," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Teaneck Town Clerk Doug Ruccione has once again rejected petitioners for the One Town One Vote initiative in their efforts to move the township's local elections from May to November. The petitioners have, in return, filed suit to force a referendum onto the ballot. On July 29, Ruccione rejected the first petition from the group of organizers, among them Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), citing what he said was an insufficient number of signatures and other deficiencies in the petition. His rejection letter gave the petitioners ten days to collect more signatures and resubmit. In the following ten days, the organizers collected another 2,100 signatures, bringing the total to 3,450, and submitted them to Ruccione on August 9 … Today, Ruccione said that while his office has still only reviewed 655 of the 2,100 new signatures, he is rejecting the petition once again, on the grounds that it did not sufficiently correct other the errors present in the first petition."

IT'S RISLEY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT — "After recount, Atlantic race got closer, but unofficial results the same: Risley wins ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Unofficial results of a total recount in the 2020 at-large Atlantic County Commissioner race show Democrat Celeste Fernandez gained some votes, but not enough to give her a victory. Republican incumbent John Risley remains one of two winners in the race, gaining 564 votes for a total of 66,991. Fernandez gained 613, but her total remains less at 66,659, according to the Board of Elections on Thursday."

VACANCIES FOR THE VACCINATED — " More than 100 teachers leave N.J. district. Union says number is 'troubling,'" by NJ Advance Media's Rob Jennings: " The Paterson school district is rushing to replace a growing number of resigning and retiring teachers with less than three weeks before students return to classrooms, many for the first time in 18 months. The K-12 district is looking to fill 104 teaching vacancies as of Aug. 16, Deputy Schools Superintendent Susana Perón told the school board on Wednesday. That figure includes 77 current vacancies and 27 anticipated teacher departures within the next few months. She indicated that the number of vacancies — a challenge facing school districts elsewhere in New Jersey and across the nation — is likely to rise … Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Paterson typically had around 20 vacancies at a time, according to the district's spokesperson."

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE. DOUBLE THE FUN. — "Trenton reverses course on cannabis, doubles number of dispensaries," by NJ Advance Media's Kevin Shea: "The Trenton City Council on Thursday made significant reversals in its ordinance laying out legal marijuana sales, opting to include the city's downtown for dispensary locations and doubling the number allowed to 10. The ordinance passed 5-1 following a contentious, nearly five-hour special meeting that included a number of last-minute amendments, which spurred vigorous debate, including a few shouting matches, as well as a public input session with 28 speakers. West Ward Councilwoman Robin Vaughn voted against the measure. Council President Kathy McBride, who sponsored the law, was on the virtual meeting for hours, but was absent by the time the final vote was taken. Afterwards, Mayor Reed Gusciora said he was happy that, 'good reason prevailed.' His administration was unable to get the expanded version in front of council before Thursday. 'I am pleased that the council did the right thing,' he said."

—"Former Lodi Mayor Schrieks returns to borough as manager on two-year deal"

—" Some NJ towns are ordering their police to get the COVID vaccine. Police have pushed back"

—"'Inexcusable:' Town Of Parsippany drops contracted towing company following racist incident"

—" A Camden gun trafficking ring is busted as state and federal officials target illegal weapons"

—"Highland Park approves recreational marijuana dispensaries. Here's where"

—" Three Hoboken council members rule out challenge to Bhalla"

—"Jersey City mayor and wife buy new home on Ogden Avenue for $2.4M"

—" Netflix at Fort Monmouth? Waiting game starts on who will buy the Mega Parcel"

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

EVERYTHING ELSE

BEN & JERRY'S AMERICONE DREAM WILL OUTLAST IT — "New Jersey's American Dream megamall is once again sinking in debt," by Bloomberg's Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, John Gittelsohn, Lauren Coleman-Lochner and Martin Z Braun: " Since its groundbreaking nearly two decades ago, the megamall built in New Jersey's Meadowlands has done little except hemorrhage cash. Now, less than two years after its much-delayed opening, the complex known as American Dream is threatening to dash the lofty ambitions of yet another developer. The Ghermezian family, which runs some of the biggest and most successful malls in North America, can't keep up with the bills on the shopping and entertainment megaplex, which helped drive its original developer to the brink of bankruptcy and later was seized by lenders from the team that came next. Revenue from the stores has been so scarce amid the surging pandemic that the Ghermezians have hired legal and financial advisers to help them ease the crushing $3 billion debt load, and perhaps retain some role in running the project, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The family members aren't the only ones who stand to lose big money. Lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Soros Fund Management and Starwood Property Trust Inc. could face losses on $1.7 billion in construction loans. About $1.1 billion of municipal debt is also backing the project."

1,778 MASTROS — After Sandy, a $16B plan to fortify New Jersey coast, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: State and federal officials released a plan Thursday to protect New Jersey coastal communities from extreme weather and rising seas. The plan recommends storm surge barriers, cross-bay barriers and flood-proofing for homes in a region that spans 950 square miles from Neptune to Cape May. The planned protections would cost at least $16 billion, with $10.4 billion to come from the federal government and $5.6 billion from the state, local governments and other sources.It recommends storm surge barriers at Manasquan Inlet, Barnegat Inlet, and Great Egg Harbor Inlet, as well as two "cross-bay barriers" at Absecon Boulevard and southern Ocean City. These barriers are a combination of flood walls, seawalls, floodgates and artificial levees and dunes.

—"Fewer visitors will be allowed in some N.J. hospitals as COVID cases increase"

—"Bankrupt N.J. health plan can't pay medical claims and needs a bail-out from its members"

—"98% of Rutgers students are vaccinated — but a small group got exemptions"

—"Rosario Dawson joins board of Gwyneth Paltrow-Backed pot firm"

—"Three more Gannett newspapers move to unionize"

—"Zero to 27,254 in 10 seconds: Meet the world abacus champion from North Jersey"

—" Toys R Us to make a comeback with new toy shops inside more than 400 Macy's stores"

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