The U.S. Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision Friday said that a Maryland school district must give parents the opportunity to opt their children out of LGBTQ instruction.
Since the 2022-23 school year, the Montgomery County School Board has been forcing children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade to read LGBTQ storybooks. At first, the board allowed parents to opt their children out of those lessons, but after less than a year, the board rescinded the parental opt-out policy. A group of parents from diverse religious backgrounds sued the school board, but a federal district court and a divided panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the school board.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the court’s majority opinion. The books in question, he said, “are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated, and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected.”
His opinion included page images from the LGBTQ+ storybooks as examples, and he stated: “The Court does not accept the Board’s characterizations of the ‘LGBTQ+-inclusive’ instruction as mere ‘exposure to objectionable ideas’ or as lessons in ‘mutual respect.’ The storybooks unmistakably convey a particular viewpoint about same-sex marriage and gender. And the Board has specifically encouraged teachers to reinforce this viewpoint and to reprimand any children who disagree. That goes beyond mere ‘exposure.’”
The majority concluded that the board’s policy was an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ free exercise of religion.
“This is a historic victory for parental rights in Maryland and across America,” said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the parents. “Kids shouldn’t be forced into conversations about drag queens, pride parades, or gender transitions without their parents’ permission. Today, the Court restored common sense and made clear that parents—not government—have the final say in how their children are raised.”
