Nearly 180 people have responded to the Montgomery Board of Education's request for residents to serve on a 15-member advisory committee to work with the school system in developing the district's sex-education curriculum.

"There's quite a bit of interest," said board President Patricia O'Neill (Bethesda-Chevy Chase). "There are going to be a lot of disappointed people."

The Family Life Advisory Committee will review materials for a new sex-education curriculum to replace the revised curriculum that was the subject of a lawsuit and was subsequently suspended in the spring. That curriculum included a videotape for 10th-graders in which a cucumber is used to show proper condom application procedures. In addition, it allowed teachers to initiate discussion of homosexuality from the eighth grade.

Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays sued the school system and argued that their viewpoints were not represented in the curriculum. As part of a settlement, each group will have one seat on the advisory committee. Two seats will be reserved for county public school students, and four seats will be reserved for community-based organizations. Seven seats will remain for at-large community members.

Board members will make final appointments at the Oct. 11 meeting.

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