Three state lawmakers are joining the chorus of critics demanding the resignation of a Hackensack school board member for disparaging comments she made about LGBT education.

In statements issued Friday, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg and General Assembly members Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Gordon M. Johnson castigated the board member, Frances Cogelja, for saying it's "repugnant" that New Jersey schools must soon teach LGBT history.

"No one who plays a pivotal role in the education of our children should lead with ignorance," Vainieri Huttle's statement says. "Now is the time to show our children what is right, love and tolerance should always win."

The legislators are all Democrats who represent the 37th Legislative District, which includes Hackensack. Huttle was a primary sponsor on the bill (A-1335) that Cogelja criticized, which calls for LGBT-inclusive curriculum for middle school and high school students starting in 2020. Gov. Phil Murphy signed it into law in January, making New Jersey the second state in the nation to require LGBT studies in public schools.

Murphy, a Democrat, issued his own statement on Friday that criticizes Cogelja but stops short of calling for her to step down.

"I was proud to sign legislation requiring public school districts to teach LGBTQ history," Murphy said. "Hackensack Board of Education Trustee Frances Cogelja's recent statements do not represent our values of inclusion and understanding."

More:Coming out at work: What it's like to be a gay cop in New Jersey

More:Bergen charter school in mural controversy will teach LGBTQ studies

A request for comment from a spokeswoman for Cogelja was not returned.

Cogelja made the remarks about LGBT education in emails made public last week. She sent them to Acting Superintendent Rosemary Marks in February, days after Murphy signed A-1335 into law. In the first, Cogelja said she finds the LGBT education requirement "incredibly disturbing and frankly shocking" and asks how parents can "opt out" of the curriculum. She added that "this alternative lifestyle narrative is being shoved (down) our children's throats."

Cogelja used her district email account to send the emails.

At Monday’s packed Hackensack school board meeting, a defiant Cogelja attributed her comments to her faith and said she would “never” resign. After hearing hours of criticism from the public, she issued a tearful mea culpa.

Cogelja's three-year term started in 2018.

Her critics have few options to force her out. Some have threatened a recall election, which in New Jersey requires petitioners to collect signatures from 25% of the district’s registered voters in about five months. Cogelja represents all of Hackensack, so recalling her would require roughly 5,400 signatures.

A former Hackensack school board member has filed an ethics complaint against Cogelja with the state Department of Education, a complaint that could lead to Cogelja’s removal but only after a lengthy process that would include hearings in front of an administrative law judge. An ethics complaint filed against a Jersey City school board member in 2016 is still unresolved.

Email: mcdonaldt@northjersey.com