sws4420
05-26-2005, 10:20 AM
Under pressure from a federal lawsuit, the Montgomery County School Board in Maryland voted to scrap a controversial sex-education curriculum that derided certain religious groups as "homophobic" and presented inaccurate material.
The board also voted to reconstitute the 27-member Citizens Advisory Committee that created the course.
One of the groups that brought the lawsuit, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, or CRC, charged that the old committee was filled with homosexual advocates.
CRC and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays were represented in the lawsuit by Florida-based Liberty Counsel, which called the board's decision a "good first step in the right direction toward resolution of the issues in this case."
Liberty Counsel President and General Counsel Mat Staver cautioned, however, that other issues remain before the case can be completely settled.
But he said the board's actions "send a strong message that other school districts should heed."
"School Districts may not cross the line from instruction to engaging in indoctrination on socially sensitive topics such as sexual orientation," Staver said. "Schools are for instruction, not for ideological indoctrination."
On May 5, United States District Court Judge Alexander Williams issued a temporary restraining order against the curriculum, saying Liberty Counsel had demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of the claims that the sex education curriculum violated the Establishment Clause by showing a preference for religious organizations that were not "homophobic" and by urging referral to "sensitive clergy" to counsel students struggling with homosexuality.
Williams also believed that Liberty Counsel had shown a likelihood of success on the claim that the curriculum violated the Free Speech Clause, because the curriculum was one-sided and took a position on the issue of sexual orientation to the exclusion of other viewpoints.
Montgomery Superintendent Jerry D. Weast told the Washington Times the district has "an opportunity now to move ahead with a fresh look at this curriculum."
CRC President Michelle Turner told the paper she was shocked at the board's decision.
"It was very unexpected, and I am just very surprised, very pleased," she said.
School board President Patricia B. O'Neill said the board "remains strongly committed to a comprehensive health curriculum for our students, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure that our students receive the very best instruction in this important component of our educational program."
As WorldNetDaily reported, groups charged the curriculum, scheduled to be tested in six schools beginning the first week of this month, crossed the line from education to indoctrination.
The opponents say the curriculum, with approved teacher resources used to create lesson plans, contains factually inaccurate information concerning the health risks associated with same-sex sexual contact, espouses a theological viewpoint that was "gay-friendly" and discriminates against ex-gays and those who believe people can overcome same-sex attractions.
The curriculum presents statistics concerning condom use that are flatly contradicted by the U.S. government, the opponents contend. The complaints include the district's failure to inform students that condoms are only 87 percent effective in preventing transmission of HIV in male-female contact, and may be 0 percent effective against human papilloma virus, HPV, which causes cervical cancer.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44443
The board also voted to reconstitute the 27-member Citizens Advisory Committee that created the course.
One of the groups that brought the lawsuit, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, or CRC, charged that the old committee was filled with homosexual advocates.
CRC and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays were represented in the lawsuit by Florida-based Liberty Counsel, which called the board's decision a "good first step in the right direction toward resolution of the issues in this case."
Liberty Counsel President and General Counsel Mat Staver cautioned, however, that other issues remain before the case can be completely settled.
But he said the board's actions "send a strong message that other school districts should heed."
"School Districts may not cross the line from instruction to engaging in indoctrination on socially sensitive topics such as sexual orientation," Staver said. "Schools are for instruction, not for ideological indoctrination."
On May 5, United States District Court Judge Alexander Williams issued a temporary restraining order against the curriculum, saying Liberty Counsel had demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of the claims that the sex education curriculum violated the Establishment Clause by showing a preference for religious organizations that were not "homophobic" and by urging referral to "sensitive clergy" to counsel students struggling with homosexuality.
Williams also believed that Liberty Counsel had shown a likelihood of success on the claim that the curriculum violated the Free Speech Clause, because the curriculum was one-sided and took a position on the issue of sexual orientation to the exclusion of other viewpoints.
Montgomery Superintendent Jerry D. Weast told the Washington Times the district has "an opportunity now to move ahead with a fresh look at this curriculum."
CRC President Michelle Turner told the paper she was shocked at the board's decision.
"It was very unexpected, and I am just very surprised, very pleased," she said.
School board President Patricia B. O'Neill said the board "remains strongly committed to a comprehensive health curriculum for our students, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure that our students receive the very best instruction in this important component of our educational program."
As WorldNetDaily reported, groups charged the curriculum, scheduled to be tested in six schools beginning the first week of this month, crossed the line from education to indoctrination.
The opponents say the curriculum, with approved teacher resources used to create lesson plans, contains factually inaccurate information concerning the health risks associated with same-sex sexual contact, espouses a theological viewpoint that was "gay-friendly" and discriminates against ex-gays and those who believe people can overcome same-sex attractions.
The curriculum presents statistics concerning condom use that are flatly contradicted by the U.S. government, the opponents contend. The complaints include the district's failure to inform students that condoms are only 87 percent effective in preventing transmission of HIV in male-female contact, and may be 0 percent effective against human papilloma virus, HPV, which causes cervical cancer.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44443