The Citizen Committee Chair's Statement

Here's the statement by David Fishback, the chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Family Life and Human Development, which developed the curriculum:

Once an evidentiary hearing is held, I am confident that the Court will see that the First Amendment Establishment Clause concerns expressed in its memorandum opinion are not at all warranted. Nothing cited by the Court as raising potential Establishment Clause problems is in the proposed revised curriculum; rather, the materials cited were in background teacher resource materials which are NOT part of the curriculum

The plaintiff organizations waited nearly six months from the time the Board made its decision last November to present to the Court and the Board nearly 80 pages of dense legal materials and factual assertions, prepared by out-of-state attorneys whose only mission is to propagate a particular point of view, just days before the piloting was to begin, leaving the Board less than 48 hours to respond. Fortunately, our legal system will enable the Board to fully respond and demonstrate that the curriculum, which essentially does nothing more than state basic facts about sexual orientation as understood by every mainstream American medical and mental health professional association, does not violate the
Constitution's wise mandate to separate church and state.

In the meantime, I would encourage all interested people to go to Items 10 and 11 on the MCPS Health Education Website (http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/health/)which sets forth the entire curriculum.

David Fishback, Chair
Citizens Advisory Committee on Family Life and Human Development

OK, the judge made a hurried decision, as he had to, now it's time to sift through the evidence and see what's what.

Our American system of checks and balances relies on a judicial system that is ultimately human, and vulnerable to all the weaknesses that humans are vulnerable to. But in the long run, our liberties are protected, our rights are secured, and mostly the good guys win. Not always, but usually. It's a good system, and I trust that it will move along in a way that best serves us, the public, in this instance.