Problem:
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) denied Matthew Foldi and Bethany Mandel access to a June 27, 2023, school board meeting following community uproar against LGBT-themed books required in MCPS curriculum and the district’s removal of parent’s ability to “opt-out” of woke curriculum. MCPS only allowed invited attendees and pre-selected speakers to physically attend the open-session school board meeting on this topic. MCPS limited access to the meeting to prevent an overwhelming number of people protesting MCPS’ policies from assembling in the meeting room, to avoid media coverage, and to mitigate the political impact of the district’s policy denying parents their opt-out rights. But in doing so, the rights of our clients were violated.
Action:
AFL sued Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education and MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight for violating our clients’ First Amendment and Maryland Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) rights.
Result:
This case is currently being litigated.
