The Maryland State Board of Education has ruled in favor of a sex-education curriculum adopted last month for use in Montgomery middle and high schools, finding nothing illegal in the new lessons on sexual orientation and condom use, school officials said yesterday.
In a 17-page June 27 opinion, the state panel declined to "second guess the appropriateness" of the curriculum approved by the Montgomery County Board of Education. Instead, the state panel said it could reverse the county's action only if it violated the law. And after reviewing more than a dozen claims alleged by curriculum opponents, the state board found no violation.
The Maryland State Board of Education has ruled in favor of a sex-education curriculum adopted last month for use in Montgomery middle and high schools, finding nothing illegal in the new lessons on sexual orientation and condom use, school officials said yesterday.
In a 17-page June 27 opinion, the state panel declined to "second guess the appropriateness" of the curriculum approved by the Montgomery County Board of Education. Instead, the state panel said it could reverse the county's action only if it violated the law. And after reviewing more than a dozen claims alleged by curriculum opponents, the state board found no violation.
[snip]
The Montgomery school system's first attempt at a new curriculum was halted in 2005 by a federal judge who faulted teacher materials that criticized religious fundamentalism. The lessons were recast from scratch.
This year, the revised curriculum survived an initial appeal to State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. She refused to halt field tests but noted that arguments were "balanced equally on each side," which encouraged the school board's legal opponents.
In other words, as long as the curriculum doesn't specifically say "religious fundamentalism", it can still teach against it. The most telling statement in the entire article came a little bit further down.
And although a parent does have a right to control the upbringing of a child, "that right is not absolute. It must bend to the State's duty to educate its citizens," the state board wrote.
If you don't understand that statement, read it over a few times. Once you do understand it, read it a few more times until you become completely outraged. The court has ruled that parental rights to "control the upbringing of a child must bend to the State's duty to educate it's citizens". That's right... "must bend". Frightening words, I must say. Thankfully, in this country, we still have the absolute parental right to educate our children outside of the government school system via private or home schooling. I strongly urge parents to exercise this right. Until the government schools see that parents mean business and that they are not willing to play by their rules, things are going to continue down hill fast.
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