A month in: how Montgomery County’s ‘Refrigerator Curriculum’ opt-out program is working

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Following a Supreme Court ruling this past summer, Montgomery County school leaders were required to allow parents to opt out of classroom lessons that conflict with their deeply held religious beliefs.

In response, Superintendent Thomas Taylor rolled out a new system, cleverly dubbed the “Refrigerator Curriculum.” The name reflects the goal: giving parents direct access to their child’s lesson plans so they can literally post lesson plans on the fridge and see what their children are learning.

The new policy dictates that every nine weeks, the school district sends courses and materials for parents to review. If there is an issue, parents fill out a form to officially opt out of the specific lesson or materials.

For parents who fought for religious exemptions during the pandemic, the new curriculum is a victory, like Montgomery County parent Rosalind Hanson.

“They cut parents out. They took the ability away to say no thank you, and they completely disrespected those who have deeply held religious beliefs, myself included,” Hanson said, reflecting on the previous policy. “They basically said, no, your beliefs don’t matter here.”

Hanson calls the new process a positive development. “I think it’s a great first step in rebuilding the trust that parents have lost in Montgomery County public schools,” she said.

One month into the program, the district has seen a small but significant number of families utilize the opt-out option.

• Forty-three families have officially opted out of curricula based on religious beliefs as of Sept. 18.

The objections have been specific, often targeting sensitive themes:

• In elementary school, the most common objections were to themes like LGBTQ+, Culture/Diversity, and Inclusion.
• In middle school, objections centered on LGBTQ+ and Social Justice.
• In high schools, objections were raised against the book All American Boy, which addresses police brutality.

Interestingly, Hanson herself has not objected to any of her own son’s curriculum so far.

She explains that where they are in her son’s education allows for necessary conversations at home. “We’re at a place now on his journey that we can have more candid conversations that I couldn’t have and wasn’t comfortable having with my 9 or 10-year-old at the time.”

While supporting the opt-out option, Hanson argues that the curriculum idea still doesn’t go far enough, pointing to a lack of standardization across the district.

“Case in point, we do not have an equitable curriculum,” Hanson said. “What kids are being taught in Rachel Carson in first grade, for example, may or may not be the exact same thing that they are being taught at Bannockburn Elementary School.”

The implementation of the opt-out program raises a key logistical hurdle: when families opt out, the school district is mandated to provide alternate materials and lessons.

The Montgomery County Educators Association has raised concerns about the new workload, sending a statement:

 “We’re concerned that the existing staffing arrangements may be inadequate in meeting the needs of families who chose not to opt out, as well as those that did,” said MCEA President David Stein. “It’s critical that we have the staff in place to support the success of all of our students.”