A 15-second video advertisement released Monday by New Jersey's largest and most prominent teachers' union appears to take on those who are combatively vocal at school board meetings, plus legislation that some have called the state's version of a "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The spot from the New Jersey Education Association is called "Same Thing," and opens with a split-screen image of two breakfast sandwiches: one with the text "Taylor Ham," and the other, "Pork Roll."

"We don't agree on everything in New Jersey, but we all agree that our kids deserve a world-class education," a voiceover says.

Get our free mobile app

The images quickly cut from color footage of smiling students and teachers to black-and-white still photos of people standing up among assembled crowds and looking angry.

"When extremists start attacking our schools, that's not who we are," the voiceover continues. "People who only want to fight to score political points should take that somewhere else."

Although those quotes and a stock music track are the only audio in the ad, one of the black-and-white images is accompanied by a Patch.com headline dated May 19, "'Don't Say Gay' Bill Introduced By NJ State Senator."

That refers to bill S2648, introduced May 16 by Sen. Ed Durr, R-Gloucester, which "prohibits school districts from incorporating instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in grades kindergarten through six," further requiring parental or guardian consent for such instruction through 12th grade.

In response to the advertisement Monday, Matt Rooney of the conservative "Save Jersey" blog characterized the video as "slander" and said it was a "stupid" use of NJEA members' money.

"Attacking Garden State parents who don't want their First Graders learning about gender fluidity? Politically risky for sure, but the NJEA is leaning in," Rooney wrote.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

What would happen to NJ if we were attacked by nuclear weapons?

We used NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein to see what would happen if a nuclear warhead hit New York, Philadelphia, Washington or New Jersey.

The models show what would happen in aerial detonation, meaning the bomb would be set off in the sky, causing considerable damage to structures and people below; or what would happen in a ground detonation, which would have the alarming result of nuclear fallout. The models do not take into account the number of casualties that would result from fallout.

LOOK: These Are the 50 biggest retailers in America

Stacker compiled a list of the 50 biggest retailers in the country, using retail sales data from Kantar, provided by the National Retail Federation.

Beautiful sunflower fields to visit in NJ 2022

Among reasons why the “Garden State” remains a fitting nickname for New Jersey — late summer means the arrival of sunflower season.

There are at least six fields, spanning the state. Some are in bloom as of early August, while others are planned to peak from late August to late September.

Calling or emailing before heading out is always advisable if weather appears to be an issue. 

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM