The bill comes after New Jersey announced it would be requiring teachers to present gender identity to second graders. “Instead of teaching our second graders about math, science, and reading, Governor Murphy and the state of New Jersey are threatening the safety and security of our school children,” Van Drew said in a press release obtained by Fox News.

“While every child should go to school and feel accepted and comfortable, we should not be compromising the safety of our young children by allowing a child to use any restroom or changing room regardless of their actual gender,” the lawmaker continued. “The whole country saw late last year the terrible event that took place in Loudoun County, Virginia, where a girl was sexually assaulted in the girl’s restroom by a boy who dressed in girls’ clothing.”

Van Drew asserted that lawmakers are supposed “to protect our constituents and the American people,” and slammed his state for “doing just the opposite.”

“These children are young,” Van Drew insisted. “They are concerned with improving their reading and writing. Not learning about gender identity and sexual orientation.”

Van Drew argued that parents are right to be “outraged” by what is being taught in their children’s classrooms and that New Jersey’s “policies and guidance are forcing parents out of the equation relating to their child’s education and is government overreach at its finest.”

The lawmaker said what many on the anti-grooming side have argued. He insisted that parents “deserve to have a say in what their children learn in school.”

The representative’s proposal will also require schools to obtain written consent from parents before teaching about gender identity and sexuality. Typically, school districts employ an opt-out approach, requiring parents to actively inform the school that they do not want teachers to present this type of material to their children. Since many parents aren’t even aware that schools are introducing these concepts in class, they typically do not opt their children out. Van Drew’s legislation, if passed, would require the school to be proactively transparent, which is sure to get heated blowback from the hard left.

Fox News noted:

Van Drew’s announcement comes as New Jersey moves to implement the state’s new, more robust sex education guidelines this fall.

The standards listed “performance expectations” for second graders, which include discussing “the range of ways people express their gender and how gender role stereotypes may limit behavior.”

Educators in the Garden State are preparing to carry out the teaching standards, which were established in 2020 but not required to be enacted until September 2022.

One school district in the state distributed sample lesson plans indicating first graders could be taught they can have “boy parts” but “feel like” a girl.

If Van Drew’s bill makes it to the floor, the debate will be fierce. This would be federal legislation that would force schools to do exactly what the hard left doesn’t want them to do: Keep parents informed and involved in their children’s education. In essence, it would be progressives’ worst nightmare when it comes to education.

The introduction of far-leftist ideas in the classroom depends largely on parents’ ignorance and lack of involvement. When the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, most of America’s students were forced to learn from home, which allowed parents to see what they were being taught up-close and personal. This ignited the debate over Critical Race Theory, which has led to an even more fiery debate over gender identity and sexuality.

The left will almost certainly claim Van Drew’s bill is motivated by bigotry. They might even give it a deceptive moniker like “Don’t Say Gay.” However, if Republicans play their cards right, they can win this battle. For starters, this type of legislation is so common sense that there shouldn’t even need to be a law to enforce it. The notion that parents should be informed if a school is going to teach on sensitive issues is something that even Democratic voters can get on board with. Polling revealed that a majority of left-leaning voters actually supported the controversial parts of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.

Secondly, if the GOP goes on the offense instead of remaining on the defense, they can easily make Democrats look foolish. Instead of defending the law, they must force the Democrats to explain why they believe it’s best for schools not to inform parents about teaching gender identity and sexuality to young children. The onus is on the left, not the right. Hopefully, Van Drew manages to get his bill to the floor. Even if it does not pass right now, it will get the conversation out into the ether and force Democrats to reveal where they stand on the issue.