Lawsuit targeting LGTBQ books in classrooms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re in FCPS, not MCPS. However, we were surprised that our special Ed preschooler brought home a book about being trans. We tossed it and will be homeschooling after this year. Other parents can make a similar choice if they have issues with the book selection in the public schools.

That's bizarre. Of all the things a PK or K-8 kid needs to learn, that is not it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm as liberal as they come and don't practice religion but it's getting a bit absurd and I know with my kids it's rammed into them constantly. They've had enough between this and mental health/suicide. They don't feel they can just be straight as several teachers push it (and yes, we see it). I prefer MCPS just stick to education not politics and advocacy for different groups and stay neutral. But, with that said, I'd just be impressed if they offered my kids books. We might have 1-2 a school year and otherwise it's short passages and heavy writing/research (which is good but they need more reading comprehension).

You’re not liberal if you consider educating kids about those who are different is the same as “pushing it.”

Have you stopped to look and see what's going on? It's a constant discussion. My kid got marked absent for one class as they refused to talk about it as they realized that they cannot have an opinion and cannot be straight. MCPS's job is to educate. This isn't not education. They need to stick to academics.

In what school can kids not have an opinion and not be straight. Name the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm as liberal as they come and don't practice religion but it's getting a bit absurd and I know with my kids it's rammed into them constantly. They've had enough between this and mental health/suicide. They don't feel they can just be straight as several teachers push it (and yes, we see it). I prefer MCPS just stick to education not politics and advocacy for different groups and stay neutral. But, with that said, I'd just be impressed if they offered my kids books. We might have 1-2 a school year and otherwise it's short passages and heavy writing/research (which is good but they need more reading comprehension).

How does one do heavy writing/research without reading comprehension?

Easy, they just google a few quotes and write a few paragraphs about it.

If you just Google a few quotes and right paragraphs it’s either going to be terribly written or heavily plagiarized. Somewhere along the way some reading comprehension and analysis must occur. So which is your child doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm as liberal as they come and don't practice religion but it's getting a bit absurd and I know with my kids it's rammed into them constantly. They've had enough between this and mental health/suicide. They don't feel they can just be straight as several teachers push it (and yes, we see it). I prefer MCPS just stick to education not politics and advocacy for different groups and stay neutral. But, with that said, I'd just be impressed if they offered my kids books. We might have 1-2 a school year and otherwise it's short passages and heavy writing/research (which is good but they need more reading comprehension).

You’re not liberal if you consider educating kids about those who are different is the same as “pushing it.”

Have you stopped to look and see what's going on? It's a constant discussion. My kid got marked absent for one class as they refused to talk about it as they realized that they cannot have an opinion and cannot be straight. MCPS's job is to educate. This isn't not education. They need to stick to academics.

It you're going to make bigoted arguments at least make them based on fact

Reading one LGBT book is not telling kids that they cannot be straight. Up

How do you get marked absent for not participating in a class discussion? In elementary school you get marked present or absent or tardy in the morning before instruction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm as liberal as they come and don't practice religion but it's getting a bit absurd and I know with my kids it's rammed into them constantly. They've had enough between this and mental health/suicide. They don't feel they can just be straight as several teachers push it (and yes, we see it). I prefer MCPS just stick to education not politics and advocacy for different groups and stay neutral. But, with that said, I'd just be impressed if they offered my kids books. We might have 1-2 a school year and otherwise it's short passages and heavy writing/research (which is good but they need more reading comprehension).

You’re not liberal if you consider educating kids about those who are different is the same as “pushing it.”

Have you stopped to look and see what's going on? It's a constant discussion. My kid got marked absent for one class as they refused to talk about it as they realized that they cannot have an opinion and cannot be straight. MCPS's job is to educate. This isn't not education. They need to stick to academics.

"My kid got marked absent for one class as they refused to talk about it as they realized that they cannot have an opinion and cannot be straight," says the PP, using the non-gendered/non-binary singular they.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want any queer theory being introduced to my kid in elementary school

Your kid is being introduced to queer people in elementary school. In fact, your kid might be a queer person themself.

And, that's fine. We have several in our family and it's no secret but MCPS is failing at math and english so maybe they should focus on that vs. their pet projects. We can talk about it at home just fine.

Reading is a “pet project”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is already being discussed in another thread. It's incredibly disappointing because the groups suing here would be the ones immediately turned on and singled out to have books with them in it eliminated.

?

I would have no objection to kids being read books about devout Christian and Muslim kids. I do actually read my kids those types of books at home and would love to have them read at school too.

I think you misunderstood here. If you can single out books about or even featuring one type of person, you can single out books about or featuring another. The religious groups and families suing here to remove books with LGBTQ+ people will find that their win allows their peers to sue to remove books featuring a person of their faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is already being discussed in another thread. It's incredibly disappointing because the groups suing here would be the ones immediately turned on and singled out to have books with them in it eliminated.

?

I would have no objection to kids being read books about devout Christian and Muslim kids. I do actually read my kids those types of books at home and would love to have them read at school too.

I think you misunderstood here. If you can single out books about or even featuring one type of person, you can single out books about or featuring another. The religious groups and families suing here to remove books with LGBTQ+ people will find that their win allows their peers to sue to remove books featuring a person of their faith.

DP. Or even just to opt out of any such book

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is already being discussed in another thread. It's incredibly disappointing because the groups suing here would be the ones immediately turned on and singled out to have books with them in it eliminated.

?

I would have no objection to kids being read books about devout Christian and Muslim kids. I do actually read my kids those types of books at home and would love to have them read at school too.

I think you misunderstood here. If you can single out books about or even featuring one type of person, you can single out books about or featuring another. The religious groups and families suing here to remove books with LGBTQ+ people will find that their win allows their peers to sue to remove books featuring a person of their faith.

DP. Or even just to opt out of any such book

Which would, as the school administration points out, be both an enormous pain for classroom management and also contrary to the spirit of public education. I hope this lawsuit fails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which part of her remarks did you find problematic. I read the entire article and agree with everything she said.

Moreover, I support her firm stance on this issue. This isn't an issue on which I want wobbly political answers from my elected officials - I want a clear statement that MCPS will not single out the existence of LGBTQ+ children and families as "controversial."

My kids school banned Halloween and Valentines Day as not being inclusive,but is mandating lgbtq books in classrooms. Just seems a little incongruous.

To be clear, MCPS is not "mandating" those books. They are simply adding them to the list of books that teachers could choose to read in class, and that librarians could choose to stock.

And to be clear, all the parents are asking is for the right to opt out.

How do kids opt out of books residing in a classroom? I think the point that this is not part of sex ed so there is no opt out option makes perfect sense. These aren't sexual issues.

Huh? Gender transition is definitely part of sex ed. Sex ed is not about having sex.

The opt out would be from being assigned the book or read out loud.

Gender does not equal sex. Gender is not about who you have sex with. Sex ed is partially about having sex. Maybe you are missing something.

This is a new and political stance, not science. So the basis of your argument is not accepted by many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which part of her remarks did you find problematic. I read the entire article and agree with everything she said.

Moreover, I support her firm stance on this issue. This isn't an issue on which I want wobbly political answers from my elected officials - I want a clear statement that MCPS will not single out the existence of LGBTQ+ children and families as "controversial."

My kids school banned Halloween and Valentines Day as not being inclusive,but is mandating lgbtq books in classrooms. Just seems a little incongruous.

To be clear, MCPS is not "mandating" those books. They are simply adding them to the list of books that teachers could choose to read in class, and that librarians could choose to stock.

And to be clear, all the parents are asking is for the right to opt out.

How do kids opt out of books residing in a classroom? I think the point that this is not part of sex ed so there is no opt out option makes perfect sense. These aren't sexual issues.

Huh? Gender transition is definitely part of sex ed. Sex ed is not about having sex.

The opt out would be from being assigned the book or read out loud.

Gender does not equal sex. Gender is not about who you have sex with. Sex ed is partially about having sex. Maybe you are missing something.

This is a new and political stance, not science. So the basis of your argument is not accepted by many people.

Gender is not political.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents need to stay in their lane and let the professionals educate children and make these decisions.

It’s precisely BECAUSE of parents like those who filed the suit that we must make children read these books. We are educating them to make society a better place, not to allow the perpetuation of backwards and hateful attitudes that some parents and their churches groom and indoctrinate children to believe.

Not wanting our kids be taught that it's easy peasy to change your gender at 5 years old is hateful??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which part of her remarks did you find problematic. I read the entire article and agree with everything she said.

Moreover, I support her firm stance on this issue. This isn't an issue on which I want wobbly political answers from my elected officials - I want a clear statement that MCPS will not single out the existence of LGBTQ+ children and families as "controversial."

My kids school banned Halloween and Valentines Day as not being inclusive,but is mandating lgbtq books in classrooms. Just seems a little incongruous.

To be clear, MCPS is not "mandating" those books. They are simply adding them to the list of books that teachers could choose to read in class, and that librarians could choose to stock.

And to be clear, all the parents are asking is for the right to opt out.

How do kids opt out of books residing in a classroom? I think the point that this is not part of sex ed so there is no opt out option makes perfect sense. These aren't sexual issues.

Huh? Gender transition is definitely part of sex ed. Sex ed is not about having sex.

The opt out would be from being assigned the book or read out loud.

Gender does not equal sex. Gender is not about who you have sex with. Sex ed is partially about having sex. Maybe you are missing something.

This is a new and political stance, not science. So the basis of your argument is not accepted by many people.

That's silly. It's not new, and it is science. For example, it's impossible even to explain androgen insensitivity syndrome without distinguishing between sex and gender. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but nobody is entitled to their own facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents need to stay in their lane and let the professionals educate children and make these decisions.

It’s precisely BECAUSE of parents like those who filed the suit that we must make children read these books. We are educating them to make society a better place, not to allow the perpetuation of backwards and hateful attitudes that some parents and their churches groom and indoctrinate children to believe.

Not wanting our kids be taught that it's easy peasy to change your gender at 5 years old is hateful??

DP. Actually, your characterization of the book "A boy named Penelope" as "teaching that it's easy peasy to change your gender at 5 years old" does indicate, to me, that you have a hateful attitude about this.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the OP in the original post that Lynne Harris’s comments were disrespectful of a viewpoint/opinion.

At the end of the day, I understand why the parents brought this lawsuit. They have a legitimate POV that the content in some of these texts is in direct opposition to their religious Muslim beliefs. That said, it is my opinion that you can still have your child to be exposed to content at school and then shape it yourself at home. The answer isn’t to necessarily opt out. For instance, there were some really wacky health and nutrition lessons my kids brought home in 4th or 5th. The USDA food pyramid is heavily influenced by agricultural lobbyists in my opinion. So I had to untangle at home some of the one-size-fits-all nutrition messaging my kids received. I also had to validate their exasperation with Leader in Me. If everyone is opting out all the time, it becomes a slippery slope.

I would also say MCPS has a very progressive echo chamber that feels that inclusive texts that offer broad representation of characters is more important than quality of writing or richness of vocabulary, etc. They would surely disagree and say their book lists offer both. I personally think they are bending over backwards to offer students mirrors and windows at the expense of literary quality. I also think, like one other poster mentioned, they are playing a little loose with some age inappropriateness.