Where parent Constitutional rights, 1st amendment ,and liberal xenophobia intersect
That would be in Maryland Montgomery County Public School parents don't want the woke LGBTQ++xyz agenda shoved down their children's throats . But a Clueless Joe appointed judge decided that the school district knows better how to raise their kids .
2023-08-24-59-Opinion-and-Order.pdf (becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com)
The judge unbelievably concluded that parent’s do not have the right to opt out of a public school curriculum that conflicts with their religious views.
Who were the concerned parents ? The majority of them were a coalition of Muslim and Ethiopian Christians .
The district had decided that children as young as pre-kindergarten would read or have read to them books such as
We Make Room for All
Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope
Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History
The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets
Pride Puppy
The last one is a book aimed at kids age 4-6 . It requires the student to search for images from a word list that includes intersex, drag queen, underwear, leather, and the name Marsha P. Johnson, a trans activist and sex worker.
Quote:
This queer-centric alphabet book follows a young light-brown–skinned protagonist of ambiguous gender, their moms (an interracial couple), baby sibling, and rambunctious dog as they get ready to head off to a Pride parade. Disaster looms, however, when a tumble leads to a loose dog and a chase through the parade to reunite the four-legged member of the family with its bipedal owners. Each page introduces the next letter of the alphabet, advancing the story and along the way offering a plethora of vocabulary words (sometimes in print, sometimes in illustrations—a concluding search-and-find word list will send readers back through the book). While the story is sweet, the illustrations are the real stars of the show, depicting realistic characters and a crowd that is diverse in age, skin tone, racial presentation, size and shape, ability, and body modification. The cartoon illustrations are highly detailed, which may make the book challenging for large-group storytimes, but it will keep lap-readers invested as they pore over the characters, designs, and background actions. The only thing missing is a flag identification guide to help caregivers identify the variety of identities found and supported within the book. That quibble aside, the book is sheer delight and will be a welcome addition to shelves everywhere.
PRIDE PUPPY! | Kirkus Reviews
Clearly a book that a devout religious person of Muslim or Christian faith would NOT want their children taught.
Now the Maryland school laws have an opt-out policy that the parents thought they could use.
Quote:
(e) Student Opt-Out.
(i) The local school system shall establish policies, guidelines, and/or procedures for student opt-out regarding instruction related to family life and human sexuality objectives.
(ii) For students opting out of family life and human sexuality instruction, each school shall establish a procedure for providing a student with appropriate alternative learning activities and/or assessments in health education.
(iii) Each school shall make arrangements to permit students opting out of the objectives related to family life and human sexuality to receive instruction concerning menstruation.
(iv) The local school system shall provide an opportunity for parents/guardians to view instructional materials to be used in the teaching of family life and human sexuality objectives.
(f) The local school system shall provide age-appropriate instruction on the meaning of “consent” and respect for personal boundaries as part of the family life and human sexuality curriculum in every grade in which the curriculum is taught.
(g) When teaching concepts and skills related to family life and human sexuality, in addition to general teacher preparation, teachers are required to have additional preparation in content and teaching methods of such depth and duration as to be appropriate for the material taught. The additional preparation may be provided by college courses, local in-service programs, and/or State workshops.
Sec. 13a.04.18.01. Comprehensive Health Education Instructional Programs for Grades Prekindergarten—12, Chapter 13A.04.18. Program in Comprehensive Health Education, Subtitle 04. SPECIFIC SUBJECTS, Title 13A. Maryland State Board of Education, Code of Maryland Regulations (elaws.us)
But when the parents opted to utilize the law ; the school district unilaterally terminated the policy.
MCPS revises policy on reading LGBTQ+ inclusive books in school (moco360.media)
The district just said the books fall in their English arts curriculum rather than in sex ed .
Parents organized to oppose this .At a minimum they wanted the opt-out restored .
Family Rights for Religious Freedom (frrfusa.org)
Judge Deborah L. Boardman concluded that the parents' "asserted due process right to direct their children's upbringing by opting out of a public-school curriculum that conflicts with their religious views is not a fundamental right."
The lawyer for the plaintiffs replied
"The court’s decision is an assault on children’s right to be guided by their parents on complex and sensitive issues regarding human sexuality. The School Board should let kids be kids and let parents decide how and when to best educate their own children consistent with their religious beliefs"
Judge denies motion for MCPS families to opt kids out of curriculum involving LGBTQ+ books – NBC4 Washington (nbcwashington.com)
