The school district does not have an opt-out policy for the material.
QUICK FACTS:
- Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland is requiring students to read “LGBTQ-inclusive” materials as part of its English language arts curriculum.
- After the initial move from the district last year, parents have incessantly protested the decision, noting that “MCPS keeps painting these books as rainbow unicorn which they are not,” according to Moms for Liberty Montgomery chapter president Lindsey Smith.
- Smith added that her three-year-old child read a book called “Pride Puppy” as well as an alphabet book featuring drag queens with “Q for Queen.”
- “We asked them to just leave an opt-out in place because it goes against a lot of family values; many have a lot of religious values it goes against,” Smith explained to the Washington Post. “There’s a lot of parents that just think that their kids weren’t even mature enough to handle some of these readings and then have to explain some of these words.”
- The school district’s decision is seen as a “push to indoctrinate young kids on sexual identity,” Smith told Fox News Digital.
- “It’s not about academia, so why are we teaching it,” Smith asked. “Only 31% of our kids in the highest ‘academia’ county can pass math in the newest data released.”
- The school district’s policy leaves no opportunity to opt out.
- According to MCPS, “Students and families may not choose to opt out of engaging with any instructional materials, other than “Family Life and Human Sexuality Unit of Instruction” which is specifically permitted by Maryland law. As such, teachers will not send home letters to inform families when inclusive books are read in the future.”
PETITION TO ALLOW OPT-OUT POLICY:
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Montgomery County Muslim Council, ICNA Council for Social Justice, and others have petitioned to allow students to opt-out of the LGBTQ reading.
- The petition also calls on the district to “reverse its decision to ban schools from providing parents with advance notice about when sexually-themed reading content will be presented in class.”
- “By introducing sexually-themed lessons and materials as part of the school curriculum without advance parental notice, an opt-out option or another reasonable religious accommodation,” the petition says. “MCPS is violating the rights of parents and guardians, and undermining Maryland state law, which requires parents or guardians to have the option to remove their children from ‘Family Life and Human Sexuality’ content.”
- “Parents and guardians entrust their children to the school system with the expectation that these rights are respected and recognized. Schools should respect their authority by restoring the option to opt their children out of reading sexually-themed content or participating in sexually-themed lessons and discussions, without any adverse consequences,” the petition continues.
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported earlier this month that kindergartners at Burton Valley Elementary near San Francisco, California had been forced to read a book for “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
- The book “It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity” claims to be an introduction to “gender identity” for kids, and stars characters that are “transgender,” “cisgender,” and “non-binary” children.