School district denies graduation to student over refusal to take 'LGBTQ+ affirming' course, says family
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND: A Maryland teen who is a straight-A senior might miss out on the cap-and-gown moment of a lifetime. According to her family, the reason boils down to religious discrimination and a school district that just won’t budge.
The teenager is being called "Jane" by Fox News to protect her privacy. The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) senior is a leader in school activities, boasting a 4.76 weighted GPA and a knockout SAT score of 1450 (landing her in the 96th percentile).
Jane's parents say she can’t graduate because she didn’t complete a required health class that pushed "LGBTQ+ affirming" and "religiously discriminatory" content they found deeply objectionable.
The family told Fox News they have been fighting this battle for over two years, asking for either an opt-out, an alternative private school course, or an independent study under a teacher of their choosing. But MCPS kept saying no.
"She's pretty distraught about not being able to graduate with all her friends and experience that rite of passage," her father shared.
With time running out before Jane's senior year wraps, her parents have taken the fight to the Maryland Supreme Court, filing a petition to review their case against the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBE).
Health class sparks legal saga
It all began in August 2022 when Jane’s parents realized their daughter’s required health class would be a lot different from what they expected. Previously, LGBTQ+ content had been restricted to the Family Life and Human Sexuality unit. But now, it was woven throughout the entire year-long course.
The family snagged screenshots of alleged teacher training materials shared with Fox News. One told teachers to "review LGBTQ+ resources to incorporate more inclusive language" throughout the course.
Other documents dropped even bigger bombshells. One guide allegedly divided people into "privileged" and "oppressed" groups, with "Christians" listed as privileged and "Non-Abrahamic Religions/Spiritualities" marked as oppressed.
Another lesson had students identify people impacted by health inequities, including those who are "trans or gender-expansive," LGBTQ+, and "people who identify with non-Christian faiths." What's more? Another handout called “worship of the written word” asked teachers to recognize "white supremacy culture" in the classroom and at home.
Feeling blindsided, Jane’s parents withdrew her from the class while demanding to see the lesson plans. They say MCPS flat-out refused and wouldn’t allow Jane to opt out.
When they proposed solutions, like taking the course at a Catholic high school or under the supervision of a retired MCPS teacher, MCPS rejected them all. Dual enrollment at a community college was offered, but her parents said that it clashed with Jane’s school schedule and still wouldn't shield her from the very content they were trying to avoid.
After hitting wall after wall, the family appealed to the Circuit Court of Montgomery County in August last year. When the court sided with the school board in December, they filed a notice of appeal to the Appellate Court in January and are now petitioning the Maryland Supreme Court for urgent action.
Family says this isn't about changing the curriculum
Jane’s parents insist their goal isn’t to erase LGBTQ+ content from MCPS. They just want the school to follow its own rules.
According to them, MCPS was wrong to include LGBTQ+ affirming content for the entire health course since the instruction was "restricted by law to the Family Life and Human Sexuality ('FLHS') unit of the Health class, with parents having a regulatory right to opt out their child from that unit."
They laid it all out in a March 7, 2024, letter to the Maryland State Board of Education. "We are not trying to get MCPS to stop teaching about LGBTQ+ or change its curriculum. We are trying to get MCPS to keep that teaching restricted to the Family Life and Human Sexuality part of the curriculum so we can get notice of it and opt-out our daughter, or if MCPS is allowed to spread LGBTQ+ instruction throughout the entire health class, as its teacher instruction materials say it is doing, it follows that MCPS should allow us to opt-out our daughter from the entire class. We are trying to get MCPS to refrain from discriminating against religion," the family wrote.
And while many parents might have just pulled their child out of the school altogether, Jane’s family decided to stand their ground. They didn’t want to transfer her because they say they’re fighting for all religious students in the district — families who don’t have the luxury of private school tuition, transportation, or the ability to homeschool.
On top of the graduation battle, Jane’s parents have filed a second complaint — accusing MCPS of violating the Maryland Public Information Act.
Their March complaint alleges that the school knowingly and willfully withheld public information, including those key class documents they had been demanding for months.
