and there are several more articles in the Post besides this one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/06/AR2005050601648_pf.htmlMontgomery Blindsided Over Sex-Ed
Program Backers Blame Conservative Movement
By Lori Aratani and Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, May 7, 2005; A01
Maryland's largest school system has become a battleground over what students should be taught about sex and a symbol, some supporters of the new curriculum said, of the increasing influence the conservative movement is hoping to play in public school classrooms.
Five months after the Montgomery County Board of Education approved a new approach to teaching students about homosexuality and condom use, a federal judge put a 10-day hold on implementation of the program, which allowed teachers to initiate discussions with eighth-graders about homosexuality and included a video for 10th-graders on how to put on a condom.
School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast announced he was suspending the program, which was set to begin at six county schools this week.
The move was cheered by two groups that sued to block the program: Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays. The groups have said they are eager to work with the school system on a new version of the curriculum.
But others in the community said they are fearful that the school system is retreating from its efforts to teach students about the dangers of unprotected sex and the importance of tolerance for those of different sexual orientations.
This was a fight that few expected would break out in what many view as a progressive, liberal-leaning county.
"It looks like we're in Kansas after all. I'm appalled. I'm appalled," said Charlotte Fremaux, a parent leader at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, one of six campuses that was to be a pilot site for the sex-ed lessons. "Next, they'll be challenging evolution."
But those who have followed the battle over sex education over the years said people should not have been surprised.
"It's not an anomaly to have these conflicts break out in liberal, well-to-do school districts," said Janice Irvine, a sociology professor at the University of Massachusetts and author of a book that traces the history of sex education. "In those districts, folks are often shocked, but really it only takes a handful of parents to start what can become a bitter and quite divisive campaign."
(more in the article)