Montgomery County Vetoes “Opt-Out” Policy for LGBTQ Literature

On August 24th, the US District Court for the District of Maryland issued a decision that denies the opportunity for parents to opt their children out of instruction containing LGBTQ+ inclusive literature. The decision states that “Public schools are not obliged to shield individual students from ideas which potentially are religiously offensive, particularly when the school imposes no requirement that the student violate his or her faith during classroom instruction.” 

A group of MCPS parents first submitted a request on August 9 to take their children out of instruction in which teachers used LGBTQ+ inclusive books. If permitted, the decision would allow parents to pull their children out of certain English class lessons, provided that the books used went against their religious values. As the request was declined, students went back to school on August 28 participating in all educational activities as written out by the MCPS curriculum.

Parent reactions ranged from supportive to furious. Many who oppose the MCPS decision reason that the LGBTQ+ texts might not be “age appropriate”, or they violate certain religious beliefs. However, in a guide explaining the process of choosing instructional materials, MCPS clarifies that there is “no explicit instruction on gender and sexual identity in elementary school as part of content instruction.”

Additionally, the guide notes that MCPS has “a responsibility to include instructional materials that reflect the diversity of the local and global community.” If they were to allow students to be removed from such instruction, it would put into question whether the district was truly striving to achieve equity in its curriculum. 

The decision centers around elementary education, where most children’s concept of the LGBTQ+ community is a child with two mommies or two daddies. However, several MCPS high schools now have an LGBTQ+ Studies elective course, in which students learn about the community and its history with a focus on intersectionality. If parents had the ability to remove their children from lessons in which the community is briefly mentioned, what would happen to the availability of this course? An opt-out policy could be the first start on a road of fighting to remove representation of the LGBTQ+ community in Montgomery County schools. 

While MCPS is generally very accepting of various sexual orientations and gender identities, this isn’t the case for all of Maryland. In June of 2022, Carroll County’s school board banned pride flags on school property. Additionally, a 2019 study conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported that 14% of LGBTQ+ students in Maryland heard staff members make homophobic remarks frequently, and 34% heard negative comments about others’ gender identity. 

As of right now, MCPS students remain in classes that may or may not include a curriculum that features the LGBTQ+ community. Given Montgomery County’s policies advocating for equity and diversity, this will likely remain the case. As for whether or not parents will become more accepting or more angered by the inclusive education presented to their children, only time will tell.