Montgomery County, Maryland, school board approves new sex ed curriculum
The Montgomery County, Maryland, school board has approved a new sex education curriculum for eighth and tenth graders that discusses sexual orientation and condoms. Lesson plans will teach what it means to be homosexual but will say little about how people become gay, resisting pressure from a divided community to define homosexuality as nature or nurture, right or wrong. This marks the first time Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will introduce the topics of sexual orientation and homosexuality. Some school board members expect a lawsuit from the same community groups that won a federal court decision in spring 2005 blocking a previous version of the curriculum. Leaders of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, which with Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays successfully opposed the previous curriculum, are considering their legal options and signal that they have the same objection to the new curriculum as to the earlier one: They argue it offers one viewpoint, favorable toward homosexuality, anal sex, and premarital sex. Most observers agree that viewpoint neutrality, or lack thereof, will be the basis of any suit. Supporters of the previous curriculum applaud the new one, which explores the range of sexual orientations and gender identities, defines harassment and discrimination, and teaches tolerance regardless of sexual orientation. School board president Nancy Navarro praises the 8-0 vote, saying it "sends a message that we stand firm on the balanced approach that we have taken with these revisions." Prior to the vote, MCPS Superintendent Jerry D. Weast reminded board members that the curriculum, written by his staff, had been built on specific academic objectives and tailored to "circumscribe our liability."
Washington Post
By Daniel de Vise
[Full story]
Washington Post
By Daniel de Vise
[Full story]
[Editor’s Note: For background on the controversy, including a link to a summary of the 2005 district court decision, access the link below.]
[NSBA School Law Pages on MCPS sex education dispute]