Maryland middle school offers assignment to students to show their allyship with LGBTQ community
Montgomery County Public Schools says the assignment was 'offered as a summer-only enrichment option'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over the summer, Montgomery County Public Schools offered an optional assignment for middle schoolers to make a flag to show their allyship with the LGBTQ community.
The Libs of TikTok account tweeted a photo on August 18th showing the assignment details from Westland Middle School in Bethesda, Maryland. The assignment tasked students to make a "flag, poster, or proposal" intended to show the "inclusivity of the Westland community." The requirements also stated that students would need to include an explanation for the flag design and what it symbolizes.
Another way students could fulfill the assignment was to write a letter to an author named Alex Gino asking "them to speak to our school."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"At Westland, we strive to be an inclusive and welcoming place for all of our students and staff. In the novel Rick, the school was able to build up the LGBTQIA+ community through the initiatives of the Rainbow Spectrum club, especially the talent show that showcased individuals free to be themselves," it stated.
The fiction novel, "Rick," written by Gino, is about a middle schooler boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity. It is when Rick learns about the Rainbow Spectrum club in middle school, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, that the middle schooler starts to explore his own identity.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parents and community members attend a Loudoun County School Board meeting, just 40 minutes from Fairfax. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
Montgomery County Public Schools communications department released a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the assignment.
"This assignment was offered as a summer-only enrichment option, encouraged but not required. This assignment does not impact students' grades whether they choose to participate or not," the statement said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Proponents of teaching gender ideology in schools say that it helps maintain tolerance and an accepting environment for LGBTQ+ youth. According to the Trevor Project, an organization that advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals, "[O]ne in three transgender youth reported attempting suicide, almost one-third reported being a victim of sexual violence, and more than half reported a two-week period of depression."
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The issue of education has become one of the top concerns for voters. Parents all over the country have been speaking out against coronavirus-related mandates in schools and progressive curriculums that have been associated with critical race theory or gender theory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican elected officials in several states have sought to ban discussion of gender ideology and critical race theory in classrooms, particularly for younger students.
Fox News' Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.