Across Maryland, debate has simmered for years over the role of public schools in teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation. In Montgomery County, parents sued the school district — unsuccessfully so far — over a policy barring them from opting their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ+ books. That case is now headed to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, parents and school leaders statewide have wrestled with implementing the Maryland State Department of Education’s 2020 Comprehensive Health Education Framework, which includes gender identity and sexual orientation. In this charged climate, prudent leadership would honor local control over curricula and respect families’ rights to guide their children’s exposure to complex topics. Instead, Annapolis has pulled a fast one.

House Democrats recently pushed through House Bill 161 by a starkly partisan vote, and the bill is set to be considered in a Senate hearing on Thursday. The bill would reshape the state’s health education framework in ways that undermine parental choice. The legislation tasks the Maryland State Department of Education with expanding the Comprehensive Health Education Framework, adding domains on health promotion, gender identity and sexual orientation, and safe social media use. It mandates that all public school districts adopt this curriculum. On the surface, it’s an update. Dig deeper, and it’s a sleight of hand.

Here’s the trick: The current framework categorizes gender identity and sexual orientation under “family life and human sexuality,” a designation for which state law requires an opt-out for families who don’t wish for their children to receive instruction in those subjects. H.B. 161 moves gender identity and sexual orientation from that old domain to a new category — without an opt-out. Poof — parental rights vanish. Lawmakers rejected an amendment to preserve the opt-out, making their intent clear: to strip families of control over these lessons.

Maryland state education guidelines stipulate that gender identity instruction should teach kindergartners to “recognize a range of ways people identify and express gender.” As a teacher and parent, I’d rather introduce this subject to my kids on my terms. H.B. 161 says I can’t.

Moreover, H.B. 161’s backers may be out of step with many Marylanders, especially in Baltimore’s Black communities. Pew Research shows 68% of Black Americans believe gender is determined by biological sex — 51% even among liberal Black Americans. I’d wager a survey of local constituents would reveal skepticism toward both the ideas H.B. 161 mandates and the removal of opt-out rights. Nor is this a partisan flashpoint. A Parents Defending Education poll reveals widespread parental unease across racial and political lines: 80% oppose schools facilitating a child’s gender transition without consent, and 74% reject weaving gender identity ideology into K-12 curricula. This isn’t a red-blue divide — it’s a chorus of families demanding a say in what their kids are taught. Delegates supporting this bill might find themselves at odds with the majority they claim to represent.

This isn’t about banning books or silencing voices — it’s about who decides what’s right for our kids. Local school boards, not a state mandate, should balance community values with education. Parents, not lawmakers, should determine when their children tackle nuanced topics. H.B. 161 upends both, centralizing power in Annapolis and sidelining families.

Baltimore City delegates backing H.B. 161 include Jackie Addison, Marlon Amprey, Regina Boyce, Luke Clippinger, Frank Conaway Jr., Mark Edelson, Elizabeth Embry, Robbyn Lewis, Samuel Rosenberg, Stephanie Smith, Melissa Wells and Caylin Young. Malcolm Ruff skipped the final vote but opposed the opt-out amendment. Delegates elsewhere likely voted similarly. Their choice signals disregard for families, cloaked as progress.

The bill now heads to the State Senate. It’s not too late to act. Contact your senator and these delegates. Tell them we’ve seen through the trick — erasing parental rights doesn’t erase our resolve. Demand a framework that respects local control and family autonomy, not one dictating lessons from pre-K onward. Maryland’s children deserve an education shaped by their communities and caregivers, not legislative sleight of hand.

Justin Kuk is a math and science teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools and a parent of three children.