Maryland school district refuses to cave to massive protests involving LGBTQ storybooks

A Maryland school is refusing to back down to a deluge of protests from Muslim and Christian groups appalled by its policies on books with LGBTQ+ content.

The Montgomery County Public School District (MCPS) posted a statement on its website Thursday night that reasserted its policy of not informing parents when LGBTQ+ inclusive storybooks are read in class. It also doubled down in an FAQ section against protesters demanding they be allowed to opt their children out of lessons involving such materials.

The district received national attention this week as hundreds of protesters – “largely Muslin and Ethiopian Orthodox parents” – demonstrated Tuesday outside its Board of Education meeting, the Washington Post reported. Three parents are suing the district, the report said.

But at its website the district remained defiant.

“(Montgomery County Public Schools) is committed to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming learning environment and seeks to create opportunities where all students see themselves and their families in curriculum materials," it said.

In its FAQ section, the district maintains “there is no LGBTQ curriculum in elementary school.”

“Students and families may not choose to opt out of engaging with any instructional materials other than certain units within the state-mandated health curriculum as specifically permitted by Maryland law," it said.

“It is our policy that we teach with diverse representation; therefore, it will not be possible to notify parents every time we introduce a character representing the diversity of our community in our curriculum resources or text.”

The Washington Post reported, “Montgomery County school officials said that Maryland state law does not permit parents to opt their children out of certain lessons, except for a specific unit on sexuality and family life in the health education curriculum.”

Zainab Chaudry, regional director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations” called the district’s “disappointing and contradictory” reported Moco360, website for Bethesda Magazine.

“MCPS is the only school system in the country that has revoked the right to opt out in this manner, and it sets a dangerous precedent for all vulnerable communities. This struggle will continue until MCPS honors the intent of Maryland law and respects the rights of parents and students by restoring this measure.”

The school district maintains that “the diverse composition of MCPS families makes it impossible to notify parents of upcoming readings, discussions, or classroom activities that may conflict with their personal beliefs,” according to a statement reported by Bethesda Magazine.

“Maryland law permits students and families to opt out of ‘Family Life and Human Sexuality Unit of Instruction’ but not other curriculum, such as the English Language Arts Curriculum.”