A public school in Maryland is denying graduation to a high school senior due to her refusal to take a LGBTQ course that conflicts with her family’s Christian faith. Her parents have filed a petition to the Maryland Supreme Court to review their case, which is pending before Maryland’s Appellate Court.
As reported by Fox News Digital, the family has been seeking for three years to opt-out their daughter, whose name has been withheld, from a yearlong health course containing LGBTQ-affirming content. The course previously contained a single unit called “Family Life and Human Sexuality” in which gender ideology was promoted.
Parents in those Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) had the option to opt their children out of the unit. However, when the course was changed to have LGBTQ content throughout the entire course, effectively eliminating any opt-outs. Jane’s parents called the new course “religiously discriminatory.”
In 2022, Jane, who has a weighted GPA of 4.76 and scored 1450 on her SAT, was informed she was enrolled in a mandatory health course required for all high school students. Knowing the class had LGBTQ content, her parents withdrew her from the class and sought to investigate the material deeper. The parents asked to view the lesson plans, but the school refused.
MCPS also denied the parent’s request to opt out. The parents, seeking alternatives, asked if Jane could take an alternative class at a [religious] school or choose a teacher to do an independent study under.
After rejecting the alternatives, MCPS suggested she dual enroll at a community college to take a class to satisfy the requirement. However, the course conflicted with her class schedule and would not protect her from similar content, according to her parents.
With no alternatives, the parents in August 2024 appealed the decision to the Circuit Court of Montgomery County. The court ruled in favor of the school, and in January, the parents appealed that ruling.
In a March 2024 letter to the Maryland State Board of Education, the parents argued that changing the course to promote LGBTQ content throughout the health course unjustly took away religious rights: “We are trying to get MCPS to keep that teaching restricted to the Family Life and Human Sexuality part of the curriculum so we can get notice of it and opt-out our daughter, or if MCPS is allowed to spread LGBTQ+ instruction throughout the entire health class, as its teacher instruction materials say it is doing, it follows that MCPS should allow us to opt-out our daughter from the entire class. We are trying to get MCPS to refrain from discriminating against religion.”
The parents have chosen not to seek to transfer Jane to another district that would allow opt outs in order to stand up for families forced to abide by the rule. Jane’s parents have petitioned the state Supreme Court due to her approaching graduation.
According to Fox News Digital, the parents provided documents that tell teachers to “review LGBTQ+ resources to incorporate more inclusive language” while giving teachers a list of religious groups teachers should consider privileged or oppressed, categorizing Christians as privileged.
MCPS is facing a similar suit that was argued at the Supreme Court last week. The case was brought by a group of parents who filed suit against the school district for disallowing parents from opting their young children out of exposure to LGBTQ books.
The court, which appears to favor the parents, is expected to announce a decision by this summer.
