The Supreme Court sided with an interfaith coalition of parents allowing them to opt their children out of LGBT sexual content in schools.
By a 6-3 majority, Justices sided with parents from Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox faiths who claimed that the content of some lessons in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools pushed a sexual agenda on their children that was at odds with the families’ firmly held religious beliefs.
The decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, written by Samuel Alito, cited a long series of precedents such as Pierce v. Society of Sisters and West Virginia Bd. Of Ed. v. Barnette in which the court held as sacred the rights of parents to bring children up with a shared faith.
The Court also found that the books and lessons in question “conveyed a normative message” that taught children their parents were “hateful” and presented a moral and religious message that was “’hostile’ to their parents’ religious beliefs.” The Court said that the books and lessons in question went beyond the legally allowed practice of exposing students to a variety of ideas and instead taught as true a religious faith opposed to that of parents.
Research shows that children and schools thrive most when parents are actively involved in their education.
Even American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said the school district went too far, though he appeared to oppose the Court’s final ruling. (RELATED: Governor and Attorney General Order Investigation Into Loudoun County Schools Over Sexual Harassment Issues).
“We have to respect all children and all families,” he posted on X. “Bad facts make bad law. Mahmoud should have been worked out on a local level, it’s a shame it went all the way to SCOTUS. Parents must have a say about their own kids, they are our partners in education.”
The dissenting opinion, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, rejected the precedents of Yoder, Pierce, and Barnette and said that American religious diversity was so broad that nearly any interaction with public schools could violate a parents religious beliefs and thus the Court should prioritize the goals of the School District administration, not the values of the parents. (RELATED: Meet the Contenders in Virginia’s House District 65 Race).
“In a time when family values are often challenged, this decision stands as a beacon of justice, reaffirming that parents not the state are the primary stewards of their children’s lives,” said Billy Moges, director of Kids First.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon also praised the Court decision.”Parents have the right to know what their children are learning at school and to exercise their First Amendment freedom of religion to opt out of divisive and ideological lessons that go against their families’ values and beliefs,” she said.