Delegate Kathy Szeliga (7A – Baltimore and Harford County) introduced HB 0359, the Save Women’s Sports Act, to prevent people born biologically male from competing in girls’ JV and varsity high school athletics.

We have found that many parents and community members are unfamiliar with the key provisions of the current policy, 443. These are facts taken from the policy and do not include any commentary.

When the existing policy, 443, was introduced some six years ago, it focused on the needs of the gender non-conforming and transgender students and how the system should change to support them, but it didn’t allow for the impacts that change had on all other students and the school system. This is understandable as the topic was new to schools, but we now know how broad that impact is and a lot more about the science, the importance of parental involvement, and the best methods of care.

Anyone that has attended a public BOE meeting knows that they are long and packed with a lot of detailed business and discussion by the board that could be handled within closed sessions, with concise updates provided in the evening public sessions for the public.

Last week on March 7, we published an article that House Bill 119 has been amended and will now require local school district compliance with the Health Education Framework as set out by the State Superintendent or lose 10% of their funding.

Here are three of the most frequent points made by those stating their opposition to any revision to the current policy.

Parents and members of the community don’t normally take notice of the details of policies and practices until they impact them personally. The fact that parents and members of the community with transgender or gender dysphoric children are so loudly supportive of the current policy is a great example.

We have repeatedly based our support for parental notification on the right of parents to know what their minor children are choosing and have backed that up with the medical and scientific data that prove outcomes and support are best when parents are involved.

Drag Queen fundraising events are becoming more frequent (the Lewistown Volunteer Fire Department is hosting one on March 18), but should a high school group that maintains a page on the Brunswick High School site be doing so when there are so many other fundraising themes?

House Bill 119 has been amended and now proposes to require local school district compliance with the Health Education Framework as set out by the State Superintendent or lose 10% of their funding. The ability of the State Superintendent to suspend funding is currently optional and has rarely been used. It has never been used for curricula compliance.