The settlement ‘ensures parents, not government bureaucrats, have the final say in how their children are raised,’ said the plaintiffs’ lead attorney.
A Maryland school district that lost a recent U.S. Supreme Court case will pay $1.5 million to parents who weren’t allowed to opt their children out of LGBT story time, the families’ attorneys said.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the plaintiffs in the landmark Mahmoud v. Taylor case, announced the settlement on Friday. The defendant, the Montgomery County Board of Education—which oversees Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest school district in the state—was also ordered to comply with court orders mandating advance notice and opt-out provisions.
“Public schools nationwide are on notice: running roughshod over parents’ rights and religious freedom isn’t just illegal—it’s costly,” Eric Baxter, Becket senior counsel and the lead attorney in the case, said in a Feb. 20 statement. “This settlement enforces the Supreme Court’s ruling and ensures parents, not government bureaucrats, have the final say in how their children are raised.”
The Feb. 19 order from U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman did not specify the settlement amount but did say the plaintiffs are “entitled to reasonable attorney fees and costs” outlined in a separate agreement. Three families and “Kids First,” an unincorporated association of parents and teachers, are listed as the awardees.
The Supreme Court announced its 6–3 ruling on June 27 and directed the litigation of remaining issues, including any settlement, to continue in lower courts.
The case dates back to 2022, after a group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish parents told the board of education that they wanted to remove their elementary school children from book readings about same-sex romances between young children, gender transitions, and pride parades for religious reasons. The parents were denied permission to do so, even though the district and the state have policies and laws allowing opt-outs and requiring advance notice of such materials.
The court’s majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, stated that the government cannot condition the benefit of free public education on parents’ acceptance of instruction that threatens the religious beliefs and practices that parents choose to instill in their children.
Baxter said the court had ongoing jurisdiction over the district to ensure compliance.
“It took tremendous courage for these parents to stand up to the school board and take their case all the way to the Supreme Court,” Baxter said in a statement. “Their victory reshaped the law and ensured that generations of religious parents will be able to guide their children’s upbringing according to their faith.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Montgomery County Public Schools and its Board of Education but did not hear back by publication time.
