US EditionSupreme Court backs parents seeking to opt their kids out of LGBTQ books in elementary schools
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND, JUN 27 – The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that parents with religious objections can opt their children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive lessons in Maryland public schools, affecting curriculum policies nationwide.
- On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Maryland parents with religious objections can opt their children out of LGBTQ storybooks, overturning the school district’s no-opt-out policy.
- Montgomery County Public Schools introduced five LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks in 2022, rescinded opt-outs a year later, in a district enrolling nearly 160,000 students.
- Justice Samuel Alito’s majority applied strict scrutiny citing the Wisconsin v. Yoder precedent, emphasizing that forbidding opt-outs burdens religious exercise.
- In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned `will be chaos for this nation’s public schools`, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
- The ruling is likely to spur more districts to adopt opt-out policies, and Fuller’s book `Beyond the Rainbow Fence` is due out later this year.
557 Articles
557 Articles
Chino Valley schools move to protect religious beliefs after Supreme Court ruling
The Chino Valley school district will look to add language into its policies from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gives parents the right to “opt-out” of lessons that interfere with families’ religious beliefs. At its Thursday, July 17, meeting the board asked officials to ensure its policies on the use of supplementary materials and teaching controversial topics in curriculum reflect the recent ruling. The move follows a June 27 ruling …
Alito’s Same-Sex Wedding Panic Threatens LGBTQ Rights
The Supreme Court rounded out its term in June with another blow to LGBTQ rights. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Court’s six Republican-appointed justices sided with parents in a case involving religious rights and LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks. The parents (of Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian faiths) asked the Court to require Montgomery County, Maryland, to reinstate a policy allowing them to opt their children out of story hours that include …
Klar: Supreme Court decision on parental rights goes beyond education
It’s a matter of choice. Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images by John Klar In yet another bombshell decision for its 2025 term, the US Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that Maryland unconstitutionally burdened the religious exercise of parents by using schoolbooks in the classroom about gay relationships and trans identities that threatened to undermine family religious beliefs while denying them an opportunity to opt out. The rul…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
