Pre-K students in Maryland will learn about gender identity and expression, including how to "recognize and respect that people express themselves in many different ways" and understand "that there are different types of families (e.g., single parent, same-gender, intergenerational, blended, interracial, adoptive, foster, etc.)," reports Fox5 News in Baltimore.
Additionally, teachers are not required to inform parents about their child's desire to change genders, according to the Maryland State Department of Education's state's health education framework.
Under the gender identity and expression subcategory of the "Family Life and Human Sexuality" section, the state says pre-K students should also "recognize and respect that people express themselves in many different ways."
By Kindergarten, children should recognize "a range of ways people identify and express their gender," and the importance of treating people of all gender identities and expressions "with dignity and respect."
The report comes about two weeks after Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the "Parental Rights in Education" bill, which bars classroom instruction in public schools on sexual orientation or gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade (about ages 5-9).
Other states have followed suit.
Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan earlier this week slammed the legislation as "absurd" and criticized DeSantis for going after Disney CEO Bob Chapek for publicly condemning the bill.
"I didn't really actually see the details of the legislation, but the whole thing seems like just a crazy fight," Hogan told CNN's "State of the Union."
"It concerns me that DeSantis is always talking about, you know, he was not demanding that businesses do things, but he was telling the cruise lines what they had to do," Hogan said about Florida waging a legal battle against Norwegian Cruise Lines over its vaccine mandate for passengers.
"He was telling local schools what they – mandating – and now he wants to criticize Disney for expressing how they feel about that bill.
"I mean, [Disney] has every right to" criticize he said.
"We have a thing called freedom of speech. They can come out and say what they think. I think the bill was kind of absurd and not something that would have happened in our state," he added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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