New Jersey policymakers have been working for years to make education more comprehensive around issues of gender and sex — with an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, and sex ed standards that discuss gender identity at earlier grades. But they’ve been seeing pushback from parents, local school boards and conservative legislators, who accuse the state of introducing kids to concepts they’re not ready for, or of usurping parents’ role in deciding what’s appropriate for their children.

The latest debate came just last week – when the state Board of Education narrowly passed a set of new equity rules dealing with gender in the classroom. 

Nikita Biryukov, a reporter for New Jersey Monitor, spoke with WNYC's Michael Hill about the tense climate around these policies, and the pushback from some parents. Read Biryukov's reporting on the vote here.