Pennacchio Calls for Immediate Special Voting Session on Parental Rights Prior to the New School Year Beginning

Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) issued the following statement renewing Republican calls for a special voting session to protect parental rights after a judge granted an injunction against three Monmouth County school districts preventing them from implementing parental notification policies.

“Activist lawsuits launched by the Murphy administration are doing more to hurt at-risk children than protect them. If Governor Murphy believes that suing schools into submission and taking rights away from parents is the right thing to do, then the Legislature must step in and defend parental rights. We need to have a special voting session to rein in the Murphy administration’s destructive policies and address the real inequities facing education.

Republican and Democrat leadership have expressed numerous concerns regarding decisions made by the State Board of Education and the attorney general’s office for lashing out at parents and local school boards. Schools across this state have faced critical funding cuts because of Governor Murphy’s failure to work with Republicans on fixing the flawed S-2 school funding formula. How much longer are we going to wait to rein in this administration’s misguided priorities and protect fundamental parental rights? Legislators should return to Trenton and do the right thing. New Jersey families deserve better.”

Senate Republicans called for a special voting session to repeal the New Jersey State Board of Education’s decision to favor equitable outcomes over equal opportunities, and to reevaluate past legislation that allowed the Murphy administration to push their misguided priorities under the guise of diversity, inclusion and equity.

The Senate President and Assembly Speaker also shared concerns regarding the controversial decision and criticized the board for not coordinating with elected officials.

Senator Pennacchio sponsored legislation in 2022, S-2385, to remove the sexual indoctrination curriculum being pushed on our young children.

Republican lawmakers announced plans to introduce new legislation that would protect parent’s rights and prevent the Murphy administration from forcefully injecting identity politics into the classroom.

One of the schools targeted by the attorney general was Hanover school district which is in Senator Pennacchio’s legislative district.

Senator Pennacchio is calling on the Legislature to return to Trenton to vote on legislation that would protect parents, their children, and allow communities to work together with their local school boards to decide what’s best for their children.