NJ lawmakers urge schools to follow Trump's order against 'radical indoctrination'
Schools should be following President Donald Trump's executive order "ending radical indoctrination in K-12," say two New Jersey lawmakers who put forward a bill to repeal the Garden State's countervailing law.
Assembs. Gregory McGuckin, R-Brick, and Paul Kanitra, R-Point Pleasant Beach, have put forward bill A-5560, which would repeal the 2021 state law requiring instruction on DEI and topics like unconscious bias, gender identity tolerance and disability tolerance.
Meanwhile, the state's Democratic attorney general remains party to multi-state legal guidance countering Trump's order.
"DEI is not appropriate in any part of our children's curriculum. It is nothing more than rebranded Marxist ideology that destroys people, relationships and communities," McGuckin said in a statement announcing the repeal effort.
"[I]n schools, [it] wrecks merit-based rewards and an ambition to excel. True diversity, equity and inclusion leads to free associations which foster innovation and progress."
McGuckin went on to call DEI lessons "garbage" that don't belong in New Jersey schools.
Kanitra said it "boggles the mind" why "telling students their skin color determines their success or failure is true or helpful."
"They are either stupid or evil, or maybe brilliant, because the experts pushing this stuff are quite wealthy, I hear," he said.
Both lawmakers highlighted the decline in state education and test scores since the COVID-era school lock-outs ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.
McGuckin said students have yet to collectively return to 2019-level proficiency scores.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin characterized Trump's order to end DEI curricula as having little effect on established law and pledged to continue to fight purported federal overreach.
In a statement last week, Platkin said New Jersey's schools are excelling because of the system's ability to embrace the state's diversity.
"No toothless threats from the Trump administration will change that," he said. "Along with my [AG] colleagues across the country, we are issuing legal guidance to schools so that they can continue to foster diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments that benefit all students."
Platkin added he and the other state AGs will continue to fight any effort by the White House to withhold federal funding from schools or special-needs students.
He was backed up by neighboring New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said in a statement that the Trump administration "cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a 'Dear Colleague' letter."
New Jersey's DEI law, spearheaded by former Gov. Richard Codey — now a Democratic state senator from West Orange — mandated school districts incorporate such instruction beginning in the 2021 school year.
"The instruction shall highlight and promote diversity, including economic diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance, and belonging in connection with gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and religious tolerance," the bill reads.
It also "examine[s] the impact that unconscious bias and economic disparities have at both an individual level and on society as a whole; and encourage safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical disabilities, and religious beliefs."
Assemb. Carol Murphy, D-Burlington, said in 2020 it guarantees students will be "accepted and understanding of what each student goes through in life and making sure there is no stigma attached to that student, regardless of what culture… race… sexuality or where they are in life."
As of Monday afternoon, the repeal effort had gained three additional co-sponsors: Assembs. Gregory Myhre of Barnegat, Brian Rumpf of Little Egg Harbor and Erik Peterson of Readington, all Republicans.
Fox News Digital reached out to Platkin and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Jack Ciattarelli for additional comment for purposes of this story.
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