Community Message Concerning Access to the Carver Educational Services Center on Thursday, July 20

Anonymous
Dear Montgomery County Community Members,

To ensure the safety of all attendees in the upcoming Board of Education meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023, the following public access procedures will be implemented.

Access will be prioritized to permit scheduled speakers, invited attendees, and all members of the public up to the seating capacity of the room.

Staff will utilize a first-come, first-served process for individuals who wish to attend the meeting in person. To be in the public audience, attendees are asked to:

Arrive 60 minutes before the start of the open session (beginning at noon), and
Sign the form, in person, at a table located at the East Entrance.

Individuals will continue to be escorted into the BOE room as space allows throughout the meeting. We aim to fill available seats as soon as they become available.

Per the Board of Education Handbook and to ensure the safety of all meeting attendees, signs larger than 8.5" x 11" and signs on sticks are not permitted. In addition, noise-making devices, outbursts and behaviors that cause disruption to the meeting are prohibited.

As always, MCPS' primary goal is to ensure the well-being and security of all attendees at Board of Education public meetings as well as preserve public access. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support in helping us maintain public safety and order at all Board of Education meetings.

Montgomery County Public Schools
Anonymous
They should allow attendance based on the number of protesters. The protesters should have priority because their numbers are higher than the counter protesters by and large.
Anonymous
No, they shouldn't.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:They should allow attendance based on the number of protesters. The protesters should have priority because their numbers are higher than the counter protesters by and large.


Disagree. They have their time during public comments and they have their protests outside.
Anonymous
It's clear that the Board's strategy is to just hope the protestors will go away. I think that's foolish and they should be actively working to seek a compromise with this group.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It's clear that the Board's strategy is to just hope the protestors will go away. I think that's foolish and they should be actively working to seek a compromise with this group.


Why? To send the message that the Board will give in to protesters, if there are enough protesters?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:They should allow attendance based on the number of protesters. The protesters should have priority because their numbers are higher than the counter protesters by and large.

No they shouldn’t. There are not counter protesters because
1. the current policy of no opt-out is favored by a large majority of the district- they aren’t advocating a change
2. The process for voicing your opinion is public comments, and the protesters have had ample time to share their opinion.
3. The people most affected by what the protesters want are also the most vulnerable (transgender youth). It is literally not safe for them to be there.

Protest all you want outside. You don’t get to take your protest inside to disrupt regular business just because you think you have more privileges than other people.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They should allow attendance based on the number of protesters. The protesters should have priority because their numbers are higher than the counter protesters by and large.

No they shouldn’t. There are not counter protesters because
1. the current policy of no opt-out is favored by a large majority of the district- they aren’t advocating a change
2. The process for voicing your opinion is public comments, and the protesters have had ample time to share their opinion.
3. The people most affected by what the protesters want are also the most vulnerable (transgender youth). It is literally not safe for them to be there.

Protest all you want outside. You don’t get to take your protest inside to disrupt regular business just because you think you have more privileges than other people.


+1 I'm not protesting because I trust that my elected officials will represent the interests of myself and my transgender child. Protests are not necessary in this case and only expose my child to danger.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It's clear that the Board's strategy is to just hope the protestors will go away. I think that's foolish and they should be actively working to seek a compromise with this group.


Agree.
Anonymous
I'm not a fan of the "opt out of books with LGBTQ characters in the ELA curriculum" protesters co-opting "No hate, no fear" to advocate *against* inclusion. But they didn't ask for my opinion.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It's clear that the Board's strategy is to just hope the protestors will go away. I think that's foolish and they should be actively working to seek a compromise with this group.

Um, no. When MCPS’ policy is “all are welcome”, there is no compromise with a group whose argument is “except these people.” This isn’t a philosophical discussion. There are actual children with 2 mommies or 2 daddies or who are/know someone transgendered. Kids talk to each other. They tell about their families and draw pictures. Muslim families thinking they can hide the existence of the LGBTQ community by having their kids leave the room when a book is read is ridiculous, and only makes their kid a target. If you don’t want your kids exposed to the general population, then don’t send them to public school.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It's clear that the Board's strategy is to just hope the protestors will go away. I think that's foolish and they should be actively working to seek a compromise with this group.

There is a lawsuit and there will be a preliminary injunction hearing on August 9 at 10 am in Greenbelt.
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/4896..._al_v_McKnight_et_al
Anonymous
A new piece from Em Espey in MoCo360, this morning:

https://moco360.media/2023/07/20/volume-of-lg...ays-in-legal-filing/
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:A new piece from Em Espey in MoCo360, this morning:

https://moco360.media/2023/07/20/volume-of-lg...ays-in-legal-filing/


Clearly there are quite a few people who agree with the protestors. MCPS and the BOE might want to at least hear them out.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:A new piece from Em Espey in MoCo360, this morning:

https://moco360.media/2023/07/20/volume-of-lg...ays-in-legal-filing/

The MCPS response filed in the lawsuit is pretty detailed. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L0BKX9u-EuvS8B2pkvB0zY58eqUsDSfg/view
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