State board upholds Montgomery sex-ed curriculum
Decision gives Montgomery go-ahead to teach lesson on homosexuality and condom use
Montgomery County school system’s sex-ed curriculum was given the green light on Tuesday by the state Board of Education, much to the dismay of critics who wanted the lesson plans tossed out before school year begins in the fall.
In February, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) and Family Leader Network asked the state board to stop the curriculum before it was piloted.
State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick denied that request and allowed the pilot test to continue.
On June 12, the county school board, armed with results of the pilot tests, approved the curriculum for all eighth- and 10th-graders beginning in the fall. The critics again asked the state to block the curriculum, claiming that the school system released factually inaccurate information and did not put out material for public review before approving the curriculum.
Tuesday’s decision by the state board means the curriculum — which includes a seven-minute video on proper condom use and two 45-minute lessons on sexual orientation — will become part of the county school system’s health lessons.
‘‘We conclude that the three additional lessons do not violate the law,” the state board wrote in its decision. ‘‘As to the content of the lessons, there may be disparate points of view on whether homosexuality or transgender issues are appropriately included in the curriculum in the way MCPS has chosen to do so.
‘‘Yet, that decision is a local decision and this Board ... will not second guess the appropriateness of the local board’s decision governing curriculum, unless, of course, that decision is illegal.”
John R. Garza, CRC president and attorney for the three groups, said last month that the critics plan to sue the school system if the curriculum was not thrown out.
Garza was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.
The county school board adopted the revised lesson plans during its June 12 meeting, and it approved an addition from Superintendent Jerry D. Weast that allows teachers to answer questions about homosexuality.
The lessons have always been contested.
Revisions passed in 2004 included a discussion of homosexuality and a video on condom use. CRC and PFOX sued to stop the curriculum in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, saying it was unconstitutional.
In May 2005, a federal judge agreed, saying that teacher resource materials, not used in the classroom, were objectionable because they unfairly singled out specific religious denominations for their condemnation of homosexuality.
‘‘We appreciate the State Board’s careful deliberation and strong ruling in favor of MCPS in this case,” Montgomery board President Nancy Navarro (Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said in a statement. ‘‘The State Board rejected each and every legal challenge brought by the opponents and determined and that there was no valid reason to overturn our decision. It is my hope that the litigation in this matter will finally come to an end as we move forward with the lessons that teach that all people deserve to be respected regardless of their sexual orientation.”
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