Parents of diverse faiths say a Maryland school district is trampling on their religious freedom.
An interfaith group of parents says forcing elementary school children to participate in instruction that contradicts their religious beliefs on sex and gender violates their First Amendment rights.
The group in Maryland’s largest school district is hoping the Supreme Court agrees.
The Montgomery County Board of Education sparked a firestorm in March 2023 when it notified parents that they will no longer be able to opt their elementary-level students out of instruction involving books on gender and sexuality.
A list of LGBT-themed storybooks was added to the district’s curriculum for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in November 2022. The books included titles such as “Pride Puppy,” which describes what a child might see at a Pride parade; “What Are Your Words,” which centers on a child whose pronouns change “like the weather”; and “Love, Violet,” a story about a same-sex playground romance.
At the time, the county assured parents they would retain the right to exclude their children from any lessons concerning such materials. The policy change that came months later retracted that right and prompted local parents of diverse faiths to sue.
“The First Amendment has long been recognized to protect the right of parents to direct the religious education and upbringing of their children, and the government is not allowed to substantially interfere with that,” Mike O’Brien, counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told The Epoch Times.
O’Brien will make that argument on the parents’ behalf on April 22, when their case goes before the Supreme Court in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor. They are seeking the restoration of their right to direct and protect their children’s religious beliefs, O’Brien said.
Lawyers for the school, in a court filing, said that the books form a small part of the curriculum and contend that the books are “archetypal stories that touch on the same themes introduced to children in such classic books as Snow White, Cinderella, and Peter Pan.”
Parents Push Back
It didn’t take long after the Montgomery school board announced its new no-opt-out policy for the protests to start.
Angry crowds bearing signs with messages such as “Parents’ Rights Matter” and “Education Over Indoctrination” became a regular occurrence outside the board’s public meetings, where parents voiced their frustration.
“While inclusivity is important, it’s equally crucial to respect and accommodate the cultural and religious values of diverse families,” Christian mother Salem Peter told the board at its June 27, 2023, meeting.
