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CV NEWS FEED // Attorneys representing several Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim parents of children in a Maryland school district argued before the U.S. Supreme Court today, contending that parents have the right to opt their children out of LGBT instruction in the classroom.
Chalkbeat reported that the Montgomery County School District in 2022 added several LGBT-themed books to its elementary school curriculum, including books about a pride parade, a prince who falls in love with a dragon-slaying knight, a transgender child, and other similar content.
Some parents requested to opt their children out of lessons discussing the books, citing concerns about the themes of the books going against their religious beliefs. Parents were initially allowed to have their children leave the classroom during the lesson. However, the option was later revoked when large numbers of parents chose to opt their children out.
Further, Chalkbeat reported that the district’s school board also decided to stop informing parents if the LGBT books would be used in class. Several parents sued for the right to remove their children from lessons that they claim infringe on their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, according to SCOTUSblog. Two federal courts sided with the school district; the case now stands before the Supreme Court. A decision is expected in June or July.
“At the heart of the case is a longstanding tension between the power of parents to direct their children’s education and the authority of public schools to set their own curriculum,” Chalkbeat reported. “The high court’s ruling could decide whether parents have the right to opt their children out of any content that they see as at odds with their faith — and how far schools must go to accommodate them.”
SCOTUSblog reported that the Trump administration has filed a brief supporting the parents. Sarah Harris, who was acting solicitor general at the time, stated that the district’s no opt-out policy will force parents who stand by their religious beliefs to pull their children from public school altogether, which she said “is textbook interference with the free exercise of religion.”
The school board argues that the parents have not shown that the LGBT books are coercing their children to change their religious beliefs, a claim that the lower courts agreed with. However, parents argue that what children learn in the classroom can significantly conflict with lessons taught at home.
“Our son loves his teachers and implicitly trusts them,” a Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox family said, according to Chalkbeat. “Having them teach principles about sexuality or gender identity that conflict with our religious beliefs significantly interferes with our ability to form his religious faith.”
Colten Stanberry, an attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the firm representing the parents, said that the parents aren’t asking to ban LGBT books altogether, but rather give them the option to protect their children with opt-out policies.
“Our parents aren’t asking for an LGBTQ-free classroom,” he said, according to Chalkbeat. “They are not saying the books can’t be on the shelves. They are specifically challenging instruction.”
Stanberry later added, “When it comes to matters that are particularly sensitive to religion, especially matters of human sexuality, gender identity, that’s a place where parents should get to decide.”
