06/29/2025

SCOTUS Sides with Parents on LGBTQ+ Curriculum Opt-out

The decision expands so-called "religious liberty protections"

In a Friday ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) sided with a religious group of Maryland parents seeking to opt their children out of school curricula that featured LGBTQ+ characters and themes, marking an expansion of religious liberty protections and a restriction to the First Amendment's freedom of speech.

The parents argued the school board violated their rights to practice their religion under the First Amendment by rescinding measures that allowed them to opt their children out of discussions involving LGBTQ+ storybooks. It should be noted the books were never used for classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.

In a 6-3 decision, along political and ideological lines, the nation’s highest court agreed with the parents and ruled that schools cannot require children to participate in lessons involving books that their parents object to on religious grounds.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.