Coming to a County Near YOU

 Coming to a County Near You

There’s been a lot of jumping and shouting lately about our second amendment rights to keep and bear arms.  We are all happy to do this even as shoot ups in public places are happening almost daily around our country.

Then there is the first amendment to our Constitution, which among other things grants us the right to freedom of speech.  Unlike having guns, there doesn't seem to be much ripple about free speech rights.

Now comes the Carroll County Board of Education which seems to have an issue with that right.  A mother, whose child was bullied in Carroll County schools, donated rainbow flags to the school system.  Rather than try to get to the root of the issue, bullying on the basis on sexual orientation- which, by the way is required by State regulation- the Board in its infinite wisdom, decided to prohibit the display of rainbow flags as political statements.  

Last year, a nationwide mental health survey found that 42% of LGBTQ youth had considered suicide in the past year.  While the pandemic has increased suicidal ideation for many teens, the Trevor Project found that this situation was clearly worsened for LGBTQ kids.  In fact, 94% of those surveyed said recent politics had worsened their outlook on their lives.  Obviously the Carroll County School Board  didn’t notice or wasn't concerned about this issue.

Three months ago, this same Board set a policy on political conversation in the classroom.  It cautioned teachers that they would be penalized if they dared to voice views in the classroom that were not “aligned with approved curriculum”.  It is not at all clear what that means since a curriculum is a scope and sequence of content without any political direction. So when or how is a teacher's voice "aligned" or not with the curriculum.  What is so scary is the thought that voicing a non-aligned view could easily be a shifting target, meaning whatever the folks in power on any given day think it is.

Florida’s Governor DeSantis has led the parade.  (Hope he wasn’t carrying a rainbow flag.) His recent “don’t say gay” bill forbids the discussion of gay relationships in schools. Maryland’s Governor Hogan has characterized the ensuing fight between Disney and DeSantis as a “crazy fight” and a violation of free speech.

That brings us back to that pesky first amendment to our Constitution.   Hopefully, some of the parties whose rights have been violated might give the Carroll County Board of Education a lawsuit to think about instead of failing to protect the safety and dignity of all of its students.

This situation could be happening in a school system near you.