CAIR, Maryland Muslims Call on MCPS to Restore Opt-Out Option
Muslim Groups Want Schools To Provide Parental Notice for Sexually-Themed Material
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Montgomery County Muslim Council, ICNA Council for Social Justice, and others today responded to concerns expressed by Maryland parents and community members by calling on Montgomery County Public Schools to restore Pre-K through 12th grade students’ option to opt-out of sexually-themed reading material recently introduced in classrooms.
In a public petition addressed to MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight and the MCPS Board of Education, Muslim community leaders, organizations and parents also called on MCPS to reverse its decision to ban schools from providing parents with advance notice about when sexually-themed reading content will be presented in class.
The petition reads, in part:
“By introducing sexually-themed lessons and materials as part of the school curriculum without advance parental notice, an opt-out option or another reasonable religious accommodation, MCPS is violating the rights of parents and guardians, and undermining Maryland state law, which requires parents or guardians to have the option to remove their children from “Family Life and Human Sexuality” content.
“Parents and guardians entrust their children to the school system with the expectation that these rights are respected and recognized. Schools should respect their authority by restoring the option to opt their children out of reading sexually-themed content or participating in sexually-themed lessons and discussions, without any adverse consequences.”
BACKGROUND
Last November, Fox News Digital reported that “MCPS insisted the readings are not mandatory and that they will not be scheduled for use until families are notified.” At that time, MCPS said: “These books are not mandatory.”
After introducing new books with sexually themed content, including a book for Pre-K students that featured “drag queens,” MCPS did initially allow schools to give parents advance notice about the books and permitted children to opt out of reading or discussing the content. Numerous families, including Muslim parents and children, had taken advantage of the opt-out option.
However, on March 23, 2023, MCPS sent a community-wide notice to parents that the district would no longer accept opt-out requests and that schools would no longer give advance notice of the books.
MCPS directly confirmed its new ban on opt-outs in a March 29th email to CAIR. The school did not respond to CAIR’s request to explain what disciplinary action students might face for not participating or why the school had suddenly decided to ban parental notice and reasonable religious accommodations.
For the past several weeks, families and guardians of children in MCPS have reported being denied the right to opt-out of Pre-K through 12 grade material covering subject matters that are sexually-themed. Many have expressed to CAIR that they wish to have a say in when and how their children, especially in elementary schools, are exposed to these issues. In part, the school system is responding to opt-out requests with:
“Students and families may not choose to 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.”
Maryland Muslim community leaders are calling on MCPS to reverse its decision, restore both the opt-out option and advanced parental notice, and dialogue with community members about their concerns.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
(La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.)
Take Action: Urge MCPS to Restore Parental & Student Rights in Public Education