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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
Wall Street Journal on Gender Storytime in Montgomery County
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Anonymous
When this first started, teachers at our elementary school were required to read one book. Each grade level team had to choose the same book. Parents were allowed to opt out, and we let parents know the date the book would be read. This directive came from central office. Later that school year, MCPS sent a letter stating that parents could no longer opt out. Sets of these books were given to schools the following school year, along with a detailed training script for staff developers to read verbatim for staff training. Book sets were placed in the bookroom or classrooms, and the books were suddenly part of the ELA curriculum. Our ELA curriculum was actually Benchmark (now it's CKLA). |
Anonymous
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The public schools need to teach and reflect every student. Don't want your privileged white snow-flake to learn about Joe with 2 mommies, or Juan with a Trans parent or whatever? Send them to Catholic school (and get financial aid from your church if you can't afford it). But every kid in public school deserves to see themselves in the curriculum.
It's laughable some of the charges here (teachers forcing kids to be something they are not), it's about exposure to people in real life. Reading any one of these books is not going to change any kid, but might be a breath of fresh air, or a sigh of relief, to kid who doesn't have what you consider a traditional family -white, heterosexual, married for 25+ years parent of three who is happy our kids went to diverse schools and were able to see and learn about those who have a different family experience than what they have |
Anonymous
I am not familiar with the book. Can you describe the danger? |
Anonymous
| Boy Named Penelope by Jodie Patterson is a picture book that chronicles the coming-out experience of her transgender son, Penelope, just before his fifth birthday. |
Anonymous
Do you remember the Trump ad "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you?” It was one of the most memorable and effective ads of the last election, and it’s because of overreaches like this. Most parents want to stay away from controversial topics in elementary school, and the trans ideology debate is the definition of controversial. |
Anonymous
As you can see from the PP, schools should focus on both argumentation and writing, and leave the social justice instruction at home. |
Anonymous
Reading books which include characters from families that differ from yours is not "social justice instruction." |
Anonymous
| If the argument is based on religion, shouldn't then book about single parent families be banned, what about interfaith families? Which kind of diversity is allowed? It seems like 1 group of people gets to decide for all. |
Anonymous
I think these are complex and nuanced things to debate and discuss. Unfortunately, MCPS and the BOE opted to not have this debate and discussion publicly, overruling the opinion of their elementary school principals who advised pushing this down to the elementary level was premature and would lead to problems. Most surveys show that MCPS parents are ok with LGBT content at the secondary level, but there's great opposition at the elementary level, which is what this lawsuit and fight is about. |
Anonymous
Republicans do like to push BS narratives. They tend to trigger the bigots. |
Anonymous
Huh? What on earth is "dangerous" about it? I've read it, it's a simple kids book about a kid who's trans... It honestly seems fine even for 5 year olds let alone 4th graders, nothing about genitals or sex or anything else folks might think is age-inappropriate, just a little trans kid being a kid. I can't imagine anything offensive or problematic about it, unless you don't think kids should know that trans kids exist? And even then, dangerous suggests someone could somehow be hurt by it and unless your kid is such a fragile snowflake you think they're going to collapse upon learning of the existence of trans kids (super weird if so), how could a book like this possibly hurt anyone? |
Anonymous
It is and you know it is. Just because you say this doesn’t make it not true. Children should not be subjected to your mental illness. |
Anonymous
You're the one who seems deranged. |
Anonymous
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My 4 yo was read a book about pride parade in his SpEd program.
If MoCo had a charter school program with school vouchers like DC, people would leave in droves. My take: it's OK to teach about accepting differences and respecting all people, but this goes into something else. I am appalled that MoCo is spending money on this program and on the lawsuit while cutting other programs due to MD budget defficit. Activism at it's extreme doesn't serve anyone. |
Anonymous
Mcps is opening its first charter school. Mecca business institute |