The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Maryland parents who requested to excuse their children from school lessons featuring LGBTQ-themed books. Image: Getty images/ Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP file
(The Post News)- The U.S Supreme Court has supported Maryland parents who asked to excuse their children from school lessons that include LGBTQ-themed books. The decision highlights parents’ rights to guide what their kids learn.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in favor of a group of Maryland parents who said their children’s school lessons, which included LGBTQ-themed books, went against their religious beliefs. The parents argued the curriculum, introduced in 2022, violated their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.
The court’s majority said the parents should get temporary protection while the case continues.
The disagreement started in 2022 when the school board in a diverse county near Washington updated its English language arts curriculum.
The board decided to include more storybooks with LGBTQ themes to better represent the families living in the community.
Among the books chosen for the updated curriculum are Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, which shares the story of a same-sex marriage, and Born Ready, which follows a transgender child expressing his identity as a boy.
The ruling granted early relief, saying the parents had a strong chance of winning the case, could face serious harm without protection, and that giving them this relief serves the public interest.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her opposing opinion that the decision could create confusion and disorder in public schools nationwide.
The parents come from various religious backgrounds, but they all share concerns about their children being exposed to LGBTQ topics in school.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom to practice one’s religion. The parents argued this includes the right to remove their children from lessons that go against their beliefs.
They also noted that the school district already lets parents excuse older students from sex education classes.
Maryland’s biggest school district, Montgomery County Public Schools, added the books to help students see a wider range of family stories. But in 2023, the district decided to stop letting families opt out, saying it was affecting the classroom environment and might make LGBTQ students feel excluded or singled out.
During a hearing earlier this year, the justices seemed divided based on their views. The court’s conservative judges showed understanding toward the parents’ concerns.
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