A parents’ rights organization is encouraging families to remind local schools of this legal obligation before the academic year begins.
When classes resume in public schools next month, parents across the nation should expect notification from school administrators about any “LGBTQ+ inclusive” instruction and the right to opt their children out of it for religious reasons.
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 27 ruled in favor of Maryland parents, many of them Christians and Muslims, who complained their school district forced instruction about LGBT lifestyles on their young children. In a 6–3 vote, justices determined that while the district said the instruction was lessons in mutual respect, the materials conveyed and reinforced viewpoints about same-sex marriage.
The district, Montgomery County Public Schools, incorporated LGBT storybooks that promoted same-sex romance between children, Pride celebrations, and gender transitions in 2022, according to court papers. Parents initially were told they could opt their children out of the sessions when such books were read, but in the fall of 2023, the district made story time mandatory.
The Supreme Court decision establishes a national precedent, requiring all public school districts to broaden their existing protocols for curriculum and opt-outs to include LGBT materials.
Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute, said that these communication measures were likely in place for decades with respect to health and sex education instruction.
“It’s easy enough to incorporate,“ Kellum told The Epoch Times. ”It’s just a matter of common sense and common courtesy. It won’t become an administrative nightmare.”
“But it becomes a question of will. For some districts, this is a bitter pill to swallow.”
Kellum said there will likely be questions about activities outside the classroom, like morning announcements, school-wide assemblies, and displays. If those events are planned ahead of time and potentially interfere with a family’s religious exercise, the school is obligated to provide advance notice and the option not to attend.
Questions will also emerge about age and grade level. While advance notice is a reasonable request, it’s also reasonable to expect that older students are less impressionable, so families should act in good faith before taking actions against their school, Kellum said.
