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.
FCPS has commissioned an Equity Climate Study to provide recommendations for removing institutional barriers that have not served students, staff, and families. The firm approved and hired to conduct the Study, Insight Educators, from Minnesota, will gather information via an equity survey to all students, FCPS staff, and parents/guardians, along with interviews, focus groups, and an analysis of the data to “examine disparities.”
Parents’ rights under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), The Protection of Pupil’s Rights Amendment (PPRA), and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). A synopsis of the Maryland Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), The Public Information Act, and the Maryland Open Meetings Act.
In our original July article, we did three things: we listed the 14 schools whose libraries contained gender identity and transgender children’s books, listed a sampling of the books found in those libraries, and provided the link to the FCPS school library search tool with an explanation on how to use it.
An update on our proposal to require parental notification and our comments regarding the arguments against it. 1) Summary of the reasons the proposal is necessary. 2) Update on the current status. 3) The primary arguments of opponents to dismiss the proposal.
On February 1, State Senator Cheryl Kagan submitted a bill to allow minor children to make decisions on receiving a vaccination without the knowledge or consent of their parent or guardian, then withdrew the bill on February 22, citing it needs more work and that she will resubmit it at a later date.
Policy management has several problems, including FCPS’s failure to follow its policy guidelines. FCPS policy management has many issues, including some potential legal exposure; however, two problems should be addressed with haste.