Battle on books: Montgomery County Schools updates policy for LGBTQ+ reading materials
Montgomery County parents will no longer be notified when LGBTQ+ books are read or discussed in schools across the county (7News)
ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County parents will no longer be notified when LGBTQ+ books are read or discussed in schools across the county, communication they used to send out so parents could decide whether to keep their kids inside the classroom for it.
The change comes two months after Montgomery County Schools leaders added several new LGBTQ+ inclusive books to their pre-K through fifth grade curriculum, with one new book for each grade level.
Lindsey Smith with Moms for Liberty in Montgomery County says it makes parents like herself feel like they are left in the dark.
“Some of these kids are in kindergarten. My 3-year-old ... they want me to tell him what a drag queen is at three,” Smith said.
READ ALSO: Montgomery Co. parents outraged about MCPS gender ID policy. 7News takes a closer look.
MCPS told 7News in a statement:
Students and families may not opt out of engaging with any instructional materials, other than 'Family Life and Human Sexuality Unit of Instruction' which is specifically permitted by Maryland law as such, teachers will not send home letters to inform families when inclusive books are read in the future.
Parent advocates we spoke with celebrated the move as “hugely impactful” for students and staff.
Local LGBTQ+ support groups like Pasha Ripley, the co-founder of Parasol Patrol, agree. She says having the books in the classroom makes a difference in representation.
“I think that if the parents expect to be informed when LGBTQ+ plus books are being read, I don't understand what the difference is with the other books they read with lots of crime like Tom Sawyer they don’t get notified when those are read so it seems very discriminatory.”
Parents like Smith say it’s simply unsettling for them.
“A lot of parents feel like they are being pushed out of their kids' schools when these books come out and you actually start reading them, a lot of us have concerns about these board members making decisions and a lot of parents feel like their voices have been silenced,” Smith said.
MCPS says they are not requiring teachers to use any of the new reading materials.
