As the cultural and political landscape in the United States becomes increasingly polarized, a conservative agenda known as Project 2025 is seeping into local school boards and communities across the country and here in New Jersey. The ideas behind the initiative, backed by dozens of influential conservative organizations, is gaining ground and significantly altering education policies and school environments.
Here in New Jersey at least two dozen school districts have attempted to out LGBTQ students or ban books deemed controversial.
Project 2025 is a plan for presidential transition that was released in April 2023 as a roughly 900-page document by the Heritage Foundation, an organization that promotes conservative public policies. Project 2025 is led by many former members of the Trump administration. During the first year of the Trump administration, two-thirds of the Heritage Foundation’s recommendations at the time were implemented by Trump.
Project 2025 aims to implement numerous conservative policies such as rescinding protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics. It aims to delete the terms sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, gender equality, reproductive health, and reproductive rights. The plan outlines banning gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes in sports, and imprisoning educators and librarians for distributing books that are considered controversial by conservative groups.
This agenda has found fertile ground in New Jersey, particularly at the school board level, where the influence of groups like Moms for Liberty is increasingly evident. Moms for Liberty is a conservative advocacy group that has rapidly expanded its influence across the country. It has become a force in the battle over education policy, and says it advocates for parental rights in education. They oppose what they perceive as the “woke” indoctrination of students.
Thus far they have infiltrated more than 22 school boards in New Jersey. Their presence can be found in every major city in Pennsylvania and New York, too. It gained national attention for its aggressive stance on issues such as critical race theory, gender identity, and book censorship. The group’s efforts have been recognized and supported by the Heritage Foundation. Two years ago, Moms for Liberty received an award from the Heritage Foundation, highlighting its significant impact on education policy.
This growing influence is evident in the number of school boards across the country that are increasingly adopting policies aligned with Project 2025 and it’ goals. In New Jersey one of the most concerning developments is the push to implement policies that could “out” LGBTQ students without their consent. These policies, which are being promoted under the guise of “parental rights,” require teachers and school staff to inform parents if a student is using a different name or pronoun at school. LGBTQ advocates argue that such policies can put vulnerable students at risk, particularly those who may not feel safe being open about their identity at home.
In addition to these outing policies, there has been a concerted effort to ban books in school libraries. According to the American Library Association, there were 4,240 books targeted for censorship in 2023, a staggering 65 percent increase from the previous year. The ALA notes that book banners disproportionately target works that explore LGBTQ themes and black and indigenous histories and stories. In fact, all of the top 10 most attacked titles have LGBTQ themes, indicating a clear pattern in the types of content these groups seek to remove from educational settings.
Amidst this rising tide of censorship and conservative policymaking, there are also efforts within New Jersey to protect the freedom to read and the rights of students. During Pride Month, the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee took a significant step forward by voting to approve legislative bill A3446, also known as the Freedom to Read Act. This bill, along with its companion bill S2421, establishes specific requirements for library materials in public school libraries and public libraries. More importantly, it establishes protections for school library staff members and librarians, ensuring that they cannot be penalized for offering diverse and inclusive materials.
the growing resistance from progressive lawmakers, educators, and advocacy groups suggests that this is only the beginning of a much larger and more contentious struggle.
The Freedom to Read Act represents a critical countermeasure against this wave of censorship. By safeguarding access to a wide range of books and materials, the bill aims to preserve intellectual freedom and ensure that students can learn from a variety of perspectives.
The efforts to promote Project 2025 and similar conservative agendas in New Jersey are part of a broader cultural conflict that is playing out across the country. The push to reshape education policies at the local level is not just about controlling the narrative in schools; it is also about asserting a broader ideological control over public discourse and the future direction of the country.
As Moms for Liberty and other conservative groups continue to gain ground, the conflict over education and cultural values is likely to intensify. In New Jersey, where the battle over book bans, LGBTQ rights, and parental control in schools is already well under way, the outcome of these conflicts will have lasting implications for students, educators, and communities.
While Moms for Liberty and other conservative groups put forth their agendas, the growing resistance from progressive lawmakers, educators, and advocacy groups suggests that this is only the beginning of a much larger and more contentious struggle. The passage of the Freedom to Read Act in New Jersey is one of many signs that the fight over the future of American education is far from over and that the influence of Project 2025 will continue to be a defining issue in the years to come.
