As the start of the school year inches closer, several conservative groups are continuing their push to block new sexual education teachings from making their way into Montgomery County eighth- and 10th-grade classrooms.

The three groups that two years ago successfully sued Montgomery County Public Schools along with the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center have filed a notice of appeal asking a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge to re-examine the Maryland Education Board’s refusal to block the curriculum.

Law center spokesman Brian Rooney said the goal, as it has been all along, is to “get back to the drawing board” and come up with new lessons.

The appeal objects to the controversial curriculum for three reasons:

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» The accuracy of the lessons, specifically teaching as fact that homosexuality is innate;

» The fact that anal sex is not distinguished as more dangerous than vaginal sex;

» That it teaches being against homosexuality makes someone homophobic, even if the objection is on religious grounds.

“Since the previous lawsuit, they’ve changed the language a little bit, but we don’t believe it’s enough to get around the basic finding that religious groups are homophobic,” Rooney said Thursday.

Earlier this spring, the groups challenged the material — which delves into homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism — at the state level. However, State Schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick ruled in favor of Montgomery County Public Schools, which led to another failed challenge at the state board level. Rooney said the law allows for another appeal in county Circuit Court. This time, a judge will make the determination.

Chief school spokesman Brian Edwards said the group’s latest legal filing doesn’t change any plans to introduce the eighth- and 10th-grade sex-ed lessons in the fall.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com