First LGBTQ Class Is Being Developed By MCPS

ROCKVILLE, MD — Maryland's largest school system is developing a first-of-its-kind class about LGBTQ+ history. The plan for the class was unveiled at the school board's Committee on Special Populations meeting on Feb. 4.

The elective would be rolled out as a pilot program to 10 high schools in 2021.

According to officials, the elective will focus on a variety of topics, including LGBTQ+ history, current events, as well as the community's influence on current events, art, and film.

"It's a history focus but it also has current issues that are really relevant to the LGBTQ community," said Siobhan Alexander, a curriculum implementation director at Montgomery County Public Schools.

The curriculum, Alexander said, is being "co-created with teachers and student."

Typically, two to three schools will come to administrators with a request to test out a new class, MCPS Chief Academic Officer Maria Navarro said. But with this particular pilot program, 10 high schools have requested to pilot the course.

"This is just a show of how people are in tune with this topic," Navarro said, adding that "if you just do the mathematics, there's going to be a variety of students that are likely to be in that pilot group, representative of many of our student demographics."

"We are very excited about that," Navarro said.

The pilot program still needs to be approved by the Board of Education, but it is expected to presented to the group later this year.

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