性视界传媒

鈥淲e have long recognized听the rights of parents to direct 'the religious upbringing' of their children,"听Justice Samuel Alito听听in the court's opinion. "And we have held that those rights are violated by government policies that substantially interfere with the religious development of children.鈥�

Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred.

鈥淕iven the novelty of its 鈥楲GBTQ+-inclusive鈥� curriculum and no opt-out policy, if any party is pressing a progressive child rearing process in this litigation, clearly it is the [School] Board,鈥� 碍补惫补苍补耻驳丑听. 鈥淪uch an unprecedented curriculum cannot 鈥榦verbalance鈥� the parents鈥� 鈥榣egitimate claims to the free exercise of religion.鈥欌��

This issue arose in 2022 when Montgomery County, the largest school district in Maryland and one of the most religiously diverse counties in the country, reversed its policy on letting parents opt-out their children from LGBTQ-related lessons.

The seven 听originally purchased for the 2022-23 school year were听"Born Ready," "Intersection Allies," "Love, Violet,"听"My Rainbow," "Prince & Knight," "Pride Puppy!"听and听"Uncle Bobby性视界传媒 Wedding"听鈥撎�all with LGBTQ characters and themes.

The district性视界传媒 associate superintendent for curriculum, Niki Hazel, explained the district decided to buy those books due to previous storybooks not fully representing all diverse families in their school district.

鈥淭he books used in its existing ELA curriculum were not representative of many students and families in Montgomery County because they did not include LGBTQ characters,鈥� Hazel in a 性视界传媒 Supreme Court declaration.

Following parents' frustration with reversing this opt-out policy, the Montgomery County Board of Education claimed these opt-outs were too difficult to manage and that it was too hard to find alternative activities for the excused students.听

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said this decision will isolate students from a diverse education.听

鈥淭oday性视界传媒 ruling threatens the very essence of public education ... That decision guts our free-exercise precedent and strikes at the core premise of public schools: that children may come together to learn not the teachings of a particular faith, but a range of concepts and views that reflect our entire society,鈥� 听Sotomayor. 鈥淭he reverberations of the Court性视界传媒 error will be felt, I fear, for generations. Unable to condone that grave misjudgment, I dissent.鈥澨�

Eric Baxter, senior counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the group representing the parents who were the plaintiffs in the case, said Friday's decision restored common sense in America.听

鈥淭his is a historic victory for parental rights in Maryland and across America. Kids shouldn鈥檛 be forced into conversations about drag queens, pride parades, or gender transitions without their parents鈥� permission,鈥� Baxter . 鈥淭oday, the Court restored common sense and made clear that parents 鈥� not government 鈥攈ave the final say in how their children are raised.鈥澨�

Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, said the court's decision should have been unanimous.

鈥淚n what should have been a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor upheld by a 6-3 vote the rights of religious parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ themed curriculum," Perry said in a statement to The Center Square. "In a straightforward application of its earlier decision in Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Court wrote that it had long recognized the rights of parents to direct 'the religious upbringing' of their children, and that policies that interfere with the religious development of children violate the Constitution. Storybooks like those at issue in Mahmoud convey normative messages on sex and gender, and those messages can and often do conflict with the beliefs of parents and their children.鈥�

Maryland parents Friday praised the court性视界传媒 decision.

鈥淭he Supreme Court sent a powerful message today: Parents do not take a back seat to anyone when it comes to raising their kids. I am deeply grateful to have been part of this historic triumph for parental rights nationwide,"听听Grace Morrison, one of the Catholic plaintiffs.听