Groups seek to halt new sex education curriculum
Three groups seeking to halt the new sex education curriculum in Maryland’s Montgomery County schools filed papers yesterday seeking a state court order to prevent the school system from teaching the lessons this fall. The groups requested a stay so that the lessons, the school system's first foray into sexual orientation as a classroom topic, will not be taught countywide. Absent court intervention, eighth- and 10th-grade health teachers will embark on the new lessons starting in October, says Michelle Turner, a spokeswoman for lead opposition group Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum. Opponents of the sex education lessons, approved this year by the county school board, turned to the courts this summer after an initial appeal to the Maryland Sate Board of Education was rejected. The appeal is scheduled to be heard in January. School board members and education leaders say the lessons are age-appropriate and pedagogically sound. Opponents say the lessons promote homosexuality and unsafe sex.
Washington Post By Daniel de Vise
[Editor’s Note: Background, including information on the other lawsuit, is available starting below.]
NSBA School Law pages on sex-ed saga