Heads Up: This Could Happen Here

The Washington Post had a story the other day that kind of went without comment, but it should be a lesson for us in Montgomery County.

Seems over in Charles County, the chairperson of the Board of Education is a very conservative woman who won't even send her own kids to the public schools. She home-schools them. And the board is packed with like-minded folks who intend to change education there.

From the dais of a windowless meeting room, the elected leader of Southern Maryland's largest school system strained to smile politely this week as she faced angry accusations from a teacher.

She had heard similar questions before: How can you be an advocate for the public schools when you home-school your children? Are you going to replace science books with Bibles? And why are you trying to censor classic literature?

Margaret Young, chairwoman of the Charles County Board of Education, has at times taught her children at home in Waldorf using a Christian-based curriculum. She says she wants teachers to stop assigning books that contain profanity and what she believes are immoral messages. As an example, she cites Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which is an option on the 10th-grade reading list. Conservatives Ascendant in Charles Schools: Critics Worry That Shift on Board Opens Door to Religious Emphasis

Here in Montgomery County, we saw some internal email among leaders of the Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, saying, "Now that we have settled, the goal of the CRC seems mainly to be to replace members of the BOE in the next election..." They have been vewy vewy quiet lately, and one wonders what kind of bunny they're stalking. As their first aim was to recall the entire school board, we can be very sure this is still a high priority for them.

Just like over in Charles.

Another board member, Collins A. Bailey, is a member of the missionary group Gideons International and has also home-schooled his children. A third, Mark J. Crawford, is a former host of a radio show for Christian youth who taught at and attended religious schools. A fourth member, who sends her children to public schools, regularly votes with them.

Those in the new majority in Charles said they are moving to raise academic standards with back-to-basics lessons, character education and greater involvement by parents -- issues they campaigned on.

Critics said the effort is a distraction to educators and is one that is steeped in Christian conservatism that has no place in public schools.

This is not a simple issue. I personally would want to keep a very close eye on anything called "character education." Seeing the kinds of nuts that seem to get involved in this sort of thing, I would be sure that their idea of good character and mine will be quite different.

"We're supposed to be educating students, not infusing them with religion," said former school board chairman James Gesl, who tried unsuccessfully last year to create a recall process to hold members more accountable to voters.

Sharon Caniglia, who was a board member for 12 years and who is the principal of a local Catholic school, said she is also concerned about the future of the school system.

"It is disappointing to see board members promote their personal agendas," she said.

Yes -- you want that here? Watch what's going on.

The teachers union cites a "brainstorming" list made public by the board last fall that suggested eliminating science books that are "biased toward evolution," teaching "abstinence-only and a pro-life approach" in health classes, offering students time for character and spiritual growth and inviting the Gideons to offer Bibles to students.

This article goes on, much more than I can reproduce here. Click on the link above and read about what can happen if you don't pay attention.