An ex-gay group is touting the benefits of conversion therapy to high schools in suburban Washington, D.C., and school officials contend they do not have the authority to stop it.

According to TheWashington Post, fliers made by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, or PFOX, were recently distributed to about half the public high schools in Montgomery County, Md. "Every year thousands of people with unwanted same-sex attractions make the personal decision to leave a gay identity," the fliers read.

School officials allow literature not classified as hate speech to be distributed to students on a quarterly basis, as a result of a 2006 lawsuit. "These fliers are probably counter to what is available in our health curriculum, but that curriculum focuses on respect, and we respect freedom of speech," said Montgomery County board of education president Patricia O'Neill.