Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allows parents to let their children opt out of class when it conflicts with their religious beliefs, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) created a form for parents to do so.
Every nine weeks, which is equivalent to one semester, students will receive a refrigerator magnet detailing the upcoming curriculum. It will include topics as well as a list of books to be read during that time, explained Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor on Wednesday. The curriculum also will be provided in digital form.
The “Refrigerator Curriculum” includes a link to a form that parents can fill out when they don’t want their child to participate in a particular lesson.
Once a request is made, teachers have “a certain period of time” to provide an alternate assignment, said Taylor, who did not specify what that time was.
“This is a significant administrative burden, and sometimes we do teach things that run counter to someone’s ideas, and that’s part of the educational process,” Taylor said.
He called it “an enriched classroom environment when we introduce new ideas and thoughts that someone doesn’t necessarily share or believe in,” adding, “That is the foundation of a civil society.”
The “refrigerator curriculum” was designed both to deal with the opt out ruling as well as a way to keep families informed.
Often a student will tell their parent that nothing happened that day in school. Now, Taylor said, the parent can ask their child about a particular topic that was to be discussed.
“This is something that could have been constructed as a negative,” he said of the Supreme Court ruling. Instead, he said, “We are definitely focusing on as a positive and a better way to communicate with our parents.
In the Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, parents sought the right to opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ books included in the school curriculum. MCPS approved the addition of LGBTQ+ themed books to its English curriculum in October 2022.
Initially, the school system offered parents the ability to opt-out. However, the Board of Education eliminated this option in March 2023. It cited concerns about classroom disruption and potential stigmatization.
Some of the books parents objected to included “Pride Puppy!” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.”
