Carroll Board of Education votes to exclude 2 children’s books from family life curriculum

The Carroll County Board of Education rejected two books from its elementary health curriculum, in a 3-2 vote — “The Family Book,” by Todd Parr, and “The Great Big Book of Families,” by Mary Hoffman. Each book depicts different family structures, including families with same-sex parents, adopted children, single parents and stepparents, and do not include any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Board of Education President Marsha Herbert voted with board members Donna Sivigny and Steve Whisler in rejecting the books, with the board’s vice president Tara Battaglia and member Patricia Dorsey voting to keep the books in the curriculum.

The Family Life Advisory Committee recommended both books for exclusion from the prekindergarten and kindergarten curriculum in a February meeting . The board-appointed 31-member committee is made up of 25 parents of public school students, as well as educators, health care professionals and board member Sivigny. The committee focuses on editing the state’s indicators to match “community standards for age-appropriate instruction” on human sexuality, according to Sivigny.

The board voted 3-1 on June 12 to delay making a decision about the books until today.

The Board of Education received 62 public comments about the books since June 9; 58 of the comments supported keeping the books.

Whisler proposed the successful motion to exclude the books, to “preserve parents’ rights,” he said. Sivigny seconded.

Battaglia echoed her remarks from June’s meeting in favor of including the books in the curriculum.

“Children do perform academically better when their family life is acknowledged,” Battaglia said. “Not having social acknowledgements does lead to hostile behaviors.”

Sivigny, who was absent in June, said tonight that lesson plans are able to teach the same concepts as the books in question.

“We’re not pulling anything from the curriculum … you don’t need the books in order to teach to the standards,” Sivigny said.

The books are more about what is similar between different family structures rather than what’s different, Dorsey said at the meeting.

“I see no problem with these books,” Dorsey said. “If you see yourself pictured in the book, it sort of validates you. I think that’s what we should be all about, validating and representing everyone.”

Chloe Kang, the board’s nonvoting student member, also opposed rejecting the books. She said the material presented isn’t meant for students to explore their sexuality, but instead for an avenue to include all families.

The Maryland State Department of Education adopted a 51-page Comprehensive Health Education Framework in October 2019, which describes concepts children learn at each grade level. It includes guidelines for health education, including instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity taught in an age-appropriate manner from prekindergarten through 12th grade. Parents can opt their children out of lessons if they’re in fourth grade or higher, according to the framework.

In Carroll, parents of elementary , middle or high schoolers can choose to have their children continue in a state curriculum, opt in to a modified county version, or opt their children out of all family life curricula entirely.

About 73% of children in Carroll County are opted in to the state curriculum, according to data from the public school system communication department. In addition, 23% of children are opted into a modified county version, with just 4% of children opted out of all family life curricula.