the meeting on school grounds, and the
roiled by gay issues in May when a teacher
committee went into recess when one
at Boyd County High School showed stu-
opponent of the new curriculum wouldn't
dents in a senior cinematography class a
stop talking after he had gone over his
clip from the film Brokeback Mountain. "If
three-minute public comment limit.
she wanted to show it in class she should
Protesting parents were especially upset
have gotten parents' permission," com-
because they felt they had not been suffi-
plained parent Kelley Smith. The teacher
ciently included in the decision about the
defended her choice by noting that the
new curriculum. Westbrook parent George
Academy Awardwinning film has been
Rodrigues, for instance, characterized the
widely praised for its visual cinematogra-
new curriculum as "the culmination of an
phy. Superintendent Howard K. Osborne
agenda-driven effort by certain employees
launched an investigation into what hap-
of the Westbrook school district who are
pened and said the movie would not be
shown at the school again.118
seeking to impose their own values on the
children of Westbrook." School officials,
however, contended that they had allowed
Louisiana
more public comment on the new curricu-
Religion
· Tangipahoa Parish--In February the Tangi-
lum than was required, and dismissed the
protesters as "a vocal minority."120
pahoa Parish School District appealed to
the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a
ruling made a year earlier by U.S. District
Maryland
Court Judge Helen G. Berrigan that the
Freedom of Expression
· Montgomery County--In fall 2005 the
district's school board could not open its
meetings with a prayer. The district
Montgomery County school system
maintained that the prayers are accept-
implemented a ban on showing R-rated
able because unlike a classroom, where
movies in high school classes and PG-13
students are compelled to be, no one is
films in middle schools. Complaints
required to attend school board meet-
from teachers, students, and parents
ings, and the U.S. Supreme Court has
quickly arose, however, and in January
ruled that a deliberative body may open
the district put together a working group
sessions with a prayer because doing so
to try to forge a new policy that both
has the secular purpose of solemnizing
enabled teachers to show films of true
the event. Representatives from the state
educational value while solving the prob-
chapter of the ACLU disagreed, saying
lem of showing films to kids in school
that opening with a prayer would imper-
that they wouldn't be permitted to see in
missibly require nonbelieving parents to
theaters. "We understand that people are
violate their conscience in order to attend
concerned and that there are teachers
board meetings.119
who might be showing inappropriate
material," said English teacher Hilary
Gates. "But our professional judgment is
Maine
being overruled by the county."121
Sex Education
· Westbrook--A meeting of the Westbrook
· Baltimore--In March, when students tried
School Committee in May brought out
to leave Northwestern High School to go
lots of people, and some police, as the com-
to a protest against school closures,
mittee contemplated--and then approved
chaos broke out as students found exits
--a new sex education curriculum that
blocked by school employees. According
included discussion of contraception in
to some reports, about 100 students
eighth grade. The police were called to
eventually got together and ran out of
investigate people handing out fliers about
the blocked front door. A spokesperson
31