CAIR accuses Maryland school of deceptive court information over lesson opt-outs

Ian Miles Cheong
  |   August 22, 2023   |   Be the first to comment

On Monday, the United States' foremost Muslim representative organization stated that a school system in Maryland gave deceptive information to a federal court. They claimed the school was obstructing parents from choosing to exclude their children from lessons that promote understanding and acceptance of homosexuality and transgender issues.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) uncovered evidence that a labor union, which speaks for principals, shared apprehensions. The principals have expressed that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) were outwardly assuring parents that they wouldn't impose certain beliefs on children, while simultaneously placing the responsibility on principals for acting contrary to that public statement, the Daily Wire reports.

The combined criticism from both the Muslim organization and the labor union underscores emerging disagreements over sexual education in school systems such as MCPS, which have a significant minority population and are heavily influenced by Democratic leadership. MCPS, a substantial district near Washington, D.C., was the scene of protests this summer where hundreds of immigrants rallied in support of parental rights. They were met with vocal opposition from white female Democratic activists, who attempted to silence them.

MCPS stated that it disallowed opting out because an excessive number of parents wanting to do so was creating a disturbance. However, in response to a request for public records, the school system acknowledged that it did not have any specific information regarding the quantity of individuals desiring to opt out. Further complicating matters, a CAIR representative revealed in a legal deposition that a school official repeatedly attributed the decision to pressure from a small group of LGBT activists.

In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell expressed the following: “Contrary to its claims, MCPS has indeed instructed Pre-K through 12 English teachers to teach detailed concepts that would normally arise in sex education courses and then scold, debate or silence only children who express traditional or religious views about those topics. This is wrong. So is MCPS’ decision to mislead the public and a federal court about why it canceled the opt-out option earlier this year."

Emails reveal that in November 2022, the union representing the district's principals expressed frustration. They were upset that the school district was openly assuring parents that they would not impose specific beliefs on their children, only to then place the blame on principals when they were subsequently instructed to proceed with those very actions.

Read the full report here.

Ian Miles Cheong

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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

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