Some Montgomery parents want to opt out of new books featuring LGBTQ characters

The school system said in March it would halt its opt-out process on the books

Earlier this school year, Maryland’s largest school district revised its curriculum to include a new reading list of books with young LGBTQ characters in an effort to be more inclusive, but the reading list is getting pushback from some families who argue that Montgomery County Public Schools should allow an opt-out policy so their children won’t have to read the books or participate in lessons about them.

The reading list introduced several new books for students in prekindergarten to eighth grade that feature LGBTQ characters as part of the school system’s English language arts curriculum. The books include “My Rainbow” — a story about a mom who makes a wig for her transgender daughter — and “Love Violet” — a picture book about a shy young girl who mulls over how to give a Valentine to her crush, a girl in her class named Mira.

The stories on the list were recommended by a group of parents, community members, students and staff members, and the books were vetted by a committee of five staff members. Each book was posted online for parents to review. In an announcement in January unveiling the new material, the school system wrote, “As with all curriculum resources, there is an expectation that teachers use the texts as a part of instruction,” but that the materials were “optional as it is standard practice that teachers have a choice regarding which materials to use.”..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/04/11/montgomery-county-schools-lgbtq-book-opt-out/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_homepage&utm_source=reddit.com

Open Letter to Maryland State Department of Education Superintendent Karen Salmon: Don't Abandon Digital Best Practices

 September 10, 2020

 

 

Dear Secretary Salmon,

 

Last year, Maryland’s public schools received the Health and Safety Best Practices Guidelines for Digital Devices that you signed and made mandatory reading for the state’s 25 school districts’ and 57,000 full-time teachers.

 

I advocated hard for the bill that led to these guidelines, HB1110, and our Board of Education favored the bill.

 

These Best Practices state:

 

· Consider age and developmental level of students and recognize the importance of time limits. It is recommended that the use of digital devices with younger students be limited.

· Limit time on devices  – 10 to 20 minutes is recommended. Remind students to take eye and stretch breaks. (A separate document on this topic promotes the 20/20/20 rule regarding frequent eye breaks.)

 

Yet last Tuesday, MSDE called for at least 3.5 hours per day of live virtual instruction across all grade levels, imposing potential health threats to Maryland’s children.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which is cited in the above MSDE document, states four very serious conditions advanced by screen time.

 

1.     Obesity. The odds of being overweight were almost 5 times greater for adolescents who watch more than 5 hours of TV per day compared with those who watch 0 to 2 hours.¹ This study’s findings contributed to recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics that children have 2 hours or less of sedentary screen time daily.

 

2.     Sleep Disturbances. Media use can negatively affect sleep.²  Exposure to light (particularly blue light) and activity from screens before bed affects melatonin levels and can delay or disrupt sleep.³ Media use around or after bedtime can disrupt sleep and negatively affect school performance.⁴

 

3.     Addiction. Children who overuse online media are at risk of problematic Internet use,⁵ and heavy users of video games are at risk of Internet gaming disorder.⁶

 

4.     Academic decline. A growing body of evidence suggests that the use of media while engaged in academic tasks has negative consequences on learning.^7,8

 

Other districts around the country are solving for remote learning with outdoor classrooms, independent study projects and other innovative enrichment opportunities. In Montgomery County, leaders give students Wednesday offline every week to allow them to explore and learn organically and independently.

 

I ask that MSDE give local districts the autonomy to create virtual learning plans that respond to local stakeholder input — primarily, our teachers. Passing down statewide mandates and thresholds will inhibit creative solutions, create physical and mental health consequences,⁹ and yield proven unremarkable academic results.¹⁰

Lisa Cline

 

MCPS Parent and Safe Technology Advocate

Gazette: Council OKs $30M in cuts for fiscal 2010

Officials turn attention to bleak budget picture for next year
by Erin Cunningham
Staff Writer

...Among the cuts approved Tuesday were Montgomery County Public Schools ($9.7 million)...
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast presented his own plan for about $9.9 million in cuts in fiscal 2010 — part of Leggett's $30 million spending reduction plan.

School system cuts to textbooks and instructional supplies ($1.5 million), prior restrictions placed on administration salaries (at least $2.7 million), freezes on travel, equipment purchases and staff development ($1 million) and special education ($1.2 million) also were approved.
Weast also expects to save about $1.2 million in student transportation costs because of a drop in the price of diesel fuel.

Council Ed Committee to review MCPS surplus

On September 21, 2009, the Montgomery County Council's Education Committee will meet to discuss and vote on the Board of Education requests to declare MCPS funds surplus and move the funds to other categories.

Included in the MCPS memo on this issue is that $4.6 million in MCPS Textbook & Instructional Funds for the 2008-09 school year were declared surplus to the needs of your child's classroom by the Board of Education.

Your child's classroom had everything it needed last year, right?

Read more about the funds that were not spent on your child's classroom last year here.

Comments to the County Council can be sent by e-mail to: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov

Comments to the Board of Education can be sent by e-mail to:
boe@mcpsmd.org

WTOP: Audit of High School Shows Lots of Red Ink

Kate Ryan, WTOP Radio

POTOMAC, Md. -- Parents wondered why they had to pay for textbooks. Auditors warned that sloppy record-keeping was causing problems.
Now, after finding that Winston Churchill High School's activity funds are nearly a $250,000 in the hole, the school's finances are being sifted through by the Montgomery County School's Department of Reporting and Regulatory Accountability...full report here

...When asked about the audits -- which are conducted at each school annually -- Edwards explains that the auditors are currently "working with the school to rectify the situation."
Edwards says it was unusual, but "the audit did not show any evidence of malfeasance, the audit shows that there were some serious deficiencies in their record keeping practices."
But why is Churchill, a school in an affluent area in one of the country's wealthiest counties, charging parents for Advanced Placement textbooks?
"We're in the process of checking that out too, to find out what the situation is -- if parents were in the position of paying for textbooks there, if so why, because they should be provided," Edwards says.
COMAR, the Maryland annotated code, requires that schools provide textbooks free of charge to students.