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WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) has sent a letter to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on behalf of a concerned parent, demanding that the district comply with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)—a federal law that guarantees parents the right to inspect and review instructional materials used in their children’s education.
At issue is a matter of adherence not only to federal law, but also to common sense: parents have a right to know what their children are being taught. In Montgomery County, a parent asked to review the “Family Life and Human Sexuality” course curriculum for seventh and eighth graders, an ordinary request that federal law guarantees under the PPRA. Instead of complying, MCPS buried the request in bureaucratic red tape, processing it under a different open-records law unrelated to parental access to their children’s education. By doing so, the district sidestepped federal law, imposed unlawful delays and fees, and denied a parent the right to review their child’s curriculum.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment ensures that parents—not school bureaucrats—have the final say in their children’s education, especially as it applies to sensitive content. Congress made this right unmistakably clear: any school that takes federal funds must provide parents with timely, no-cost access to the materials used to teach their children. Montgomery County’s refusal to do so is a direct violation of both the law and the trust placed in public educators.
By forcing parents to navigate public records bureaucracy instead of honoring federal guarantees, MCPS has effectively converted a mandatory parental right into a discretionary privilege, undermining not only federal law but also the principle that parents deserve transparency from those who educate their children.
AFL’s letter demands that MCPS:
Reclassify the request as a PPRA inspection request rather than an MPIA request. Provide full access to all relevant instructional materials without charge. Clarify its procedures for processing future PPRA requests to ensure compliance with federal law.
“Federal law could not be clearer—parents have the right to know exactly what their children are being taught in the classroom,” said Alice Kass of America First Legal. “Montgomery County’s refusal to process a parent’s request under the PPRA is not just wrong, it’s unlawful. School districts do not get to hide curriculum materials behind state records procedures. Parents have a federal right to inspect, and MCPS must immediately comply.”
This action underscores AFL’s ongoing commitment to defending parental rights and educational transparency nationwide. Visit AFL’s parent PPRA toolkit here, which provides resources for how parents can exercise their legal right to know exactly what their children are being taught. Additionally, AFL has also developed the Parent and Student Action Center. This comprehensive hub provides resources that empower parents to protect their children in schools and fully understand their legal rights.
AFL encourages all parents who have faced similar barriers to reach out to [email protected].
Read the full letter here.
View all of AFL’s resources for parents here.
Learn more about AFL’s work to protect parents’ rights here.
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