The East Hanover School District will teach lessons from the state's updated sex education requirements, which explore topics of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The new sexual education requirements are getting mixed reactions from parents in East Hanover. Some say it's vital for kids to learn about it early in life while some others disagree.

The school district says these new lessons on sexual education will only be taught on the last day of school, and parents have the option of opting their kids out.

School Superintendent Natalee Bartlett says the lessons for second, fifth and eighth grades will only loosely interpret the new standards.

The lessons will look into gender identities, sexual orientation and reproductive health.

Those lessons will take place in one classroom period and will last about half hour.

Bartlett wrote a letter to parents that outlines the plans and emphasized that parents in the district will be able to choose what they think is best for their kids.

In the letter, she said, "East Hanover Township School District wholeheartedly supports that parents/guardians should serve as the primary sexuality educators for their children. These specific lessons will be co-taught by our PE teachers and school nurses and will be announced well in advance so that parents/guardians have ample time to inform schools as to whether or not their children will attend."

Parents say they appreciated Bartlett for giving them the choice to opt their kids in or out.

"I felt respected as a parent. I thought that she was respecting us and also the children, and their right to choose and their right to decide when your children have access to this information. So, I sent her an email saying that that's all I wanted, was that the school district acknowledge that I'm the mom," said Doreen Amato.