U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on student opt-outs for LGBTQ-related school curriculum
April 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on whether parents have the right to opt out their kids from school curriculum involving LGBTQ-related books.
On Tuesday, the justices will begin oral arguments in the case with a group of multi-faith parents from Montgomery County, Md., who argue that their children should be permitted to opt out based on religious grounds under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In the case, which began in 2022, the eight-member Montgomery County school board contends that education's purpose is to expose students to a mix of people, culture and ideas and that the Constitution does not grant a student the right to skip a lesson allegedly incompatible with their supposed personal beliefs.
In addition, educators say it would be a logistical nightmare to accommodate a student over a book versus an entire opted-out class like sex education, particularly for Montgomery County's more than 160,000 students.
"Research suggests that providing an opt out from an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum reduces the positive effects this curriculum has on school climate," court documents stated, adding the proposed opt out would "diminish the efficacy of the Board's LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, undermining its efforts to protect LGBTQ students."
Last year in March, the American Library Association said the number of book bans targeting public libraries in 2023 was up 92%, which nearly doubled from 2022.
One book at the center of this case, Uncle Bobby's Wedding, featured a gay character getting married, while Born Ready is about a transgender child who identified as a boy.
Its lead plaintiffs, Muslim parents Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat along with a group of parents of other religious faiths, were not challenging the curriculum itself but its lack of opt-out options.
They allege that "compelling their elementary-age children to participate in instruction contrary to their parents' religious convictions violated the Free Exercise Clause," according to court documents.
The case questions whether "pubic schools burden parents' religious exercise when they compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality against their parents' religious convictions and without notice or opportunity to opt out?"
Meanwhile, lower court rulings have sided with Montgomery County's school board.
A decision could arrived as early as June from the 6-3 majority conservative supreme court.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Seattle's police chief says he expects to be arrested for supporting protests
Seattle's newly appointed Police Chief, Shon Barnes, says he will do whatever it takes to protect the First Amendment rights of residents. The comments were made during a Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee meeting this week. He also spoke about how the department will handle protests in response to immigration enforcement by the federal government. 'At some point, I will probably go to jail and be in prison because we have an administration that has threatened to jail politicians,' Barnes said. The comments were made the same day that protesters gathered outside the city's federal building and clashed with officers. The safety committee meeting appearance was part of Barnes' confirmation as police chief. He was appointed to the position in December by Mayor Bruce Harrell and was sworn in in January. He came from Wisconsin, where he served as Chief of Police for over 4 years.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Court decides to expedite Oregon's lawsuit challenging Trump's tariffs
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A federal court issued an order on Wednesday to fast-track Oregon's lawsuit challenging tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered to expedite the lawsuit, which was filed in late April in the Court of International Trade in New York. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the decision stating, 'We're glad the court recognizes how important this case is by moving it forward quickly.' Investigators believe they spotted Travis Decker hiking in Washington. Here's what to know 'These tariffs are illegal—and they're hurting people. They've driven up costs on everyday goods, making it harder for families and small businesses to make ends meet. One analysis found the added cost is more than $3,800 a month. That's just not sustainable,' Rayfield said. The attorney general noted the order to expedite the lawsuit is only procedural noting, 'This order doesn't address whether the tariffs are legal. So far, every federal judge who's looked at the legality of these tariffs has ruled against them—and we believe the law is on our side.' The lawsuit argues that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, rather, Congress has the power to enact tariffs under Article I of the Constitution. Esquire names Portland bar among the best in the U.S. in 2025 While President Trump's executive orders state the president has the authority to impose tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Attorney General Rayfield argues that law only applies in an emergency with an 'unusual and extraordinary' threat from abroad and does not give the president the power to impose tariffs. The lawsuit is co-led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Other states joining the suit include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont. The order to expedite the lawsuit comes after Rayfield celebrated a brief legal victory on May 29 when a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of International Trade temporarily blocked tariffs Trump imposed against all U.S. trading partners as well as levies he imposed before that on China, Mexico and Canada. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now In a briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the ruling 'judicial overreach' and stressed the need for the Supreme Court to intervene. 'There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process,' she said. 'America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.' Soon after, however, the Trump administration was granted an appeal to that decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals — upending the lower court's ruling to halt tariffs. KOIN 6 News has reached out to the United States Attorney General's Office. This story will be updated if we receive a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Outside agitators' blamed for ICE protest damage in Brookhaven; AG warns against violence
Six people face charges after a protest of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations that was largely peaceful through the day experienced violence Tuesday night. Brookhaven's mayor told Channel 2's Michael Doudna that the people responsible for a lot of the damage were not from the area. 'It's clear that they were outside agitators, decided to try to basically goad us into action,' Mayor John Park said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Only one of the people arrested was from Brookhaven, officials said. Around 9:30 p.m., windows were smashed on multiple police cars and fireworks were thrown. Park said those actions are a crime, not a protest. 'Pretty much all the protesters, they don't want violence,' he said. 'They want to be heard.' Estevan Hernandez helped organize the protest, speaking out against ICE operations across the country. 'L.A. was the spark, and we're seeing it travel across the country now,' he said of the nationwide demonstrations. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Wednesday warned against people getting violent. 'If you use violence for the purposes of changing public policy, we can and will charge you with domestic terrorism,' Carr said. For most of the evening Tuesday, hundreds of people peacefully rallied along Buford Highway. This will likely be one of multiple protests in the near future, as law enforcement will have to balance First Amendment rights with public safety. 'People have the right to be heard,' Park said. 'We support that, but our main concern is we want to keep people safe.' The same group that organized Tuesday's protest has scheduled another one Saturday in DeKalb County. TRENDING STORIES: Lithonia rapper Silentó pleads guilty, sentenced to 30 years in prison for cousin's shooting death They were once best friends, then one killed the other. We take you inside this bizarre murder case The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson dies at 82 [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]