Will the MCPS Board of Education Protect LGBTQ+ Students?

Like many parents, I’ve carefully watched this year’s races for the MCPS Board of Education. MCPS strives to build school communities that promote the education of all students while also protecting their right to feel safe and accepted in their schools. One of my priorities as a voter is choosing candidates who will uphold those principles.

Most of the candidates for the Board of Education are supportive of MCPS’s inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ rights. In conversations with Bethesda Beat, Brenda Wolff, Valerie Coll, Scott Joftus, Karla Silvestre, Grace Rivera-Oven, and Julie Yang, all spoke knowledgeably about MCPS’s policies on LGBTQ+ inclusion. They voiced support for the existing policies and encouraged consistent implementation.

Candidates Mike Erickson and Esther Wells were less supportive. Mr. Erickson told Bethesda Beat, “I don’t think it should be specific to any group of kids…Bullying anybody for any reason is not acceptable. And if you’re distracting someone’s time for learning and studying, you should be punished and dealt with. I don’t see any special reason because of the gender or sexual orientation.”

In a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, Ms. Wells echoed this sentiment, saying that MCPS should focus on preventing bullying generally.