Muslim group decries Maryland school district for blocking parental opt-outs

A prominent Muslim advocacy group is demanding that the largest school district in Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools, reinstate parental opt-outs for gay and transgender content after the district announced it would no longer accept such requests.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has collected over 400 signatures in an online petition urging the school district to allow parents to opt their children out of lessons that contain sexually explicit content and to notify parents when they are used.

Last month, the school district announced that it would no longer accept opt-outs for “inclusive books” and that it expected each classroom to be “inclusive and safe spaces for students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ or have family members in the LGBTQ+ community.”

The CAIR petition claims that the school district is violating Maryland state law on parental notice and opt-out and urged the district to reinstate the option.

In response to an inquiry from the Washington Examiner, Montgomery County Public Schools simply provided the same statement that was shared with the district’s families last month.

The petition to the school district by the prominent Muslim advocacy group, which has been known to support liberal politicians, has aligned the organization with prominent conservative parental rights activists.

Alex Nester, an investigative fellow for the parent activist organization Parents Defending Education, told the Washington Examiner that the school district’s policy is “obviously pushing parents away.”