SCOTUS: Parents can opt kids out of classes with LGBTQ book characters
Wading into another culture clash, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that school systems, for now, are required to provide parents with an “opt-out” provision that excuses their children from class when course material conflicts with their religious beliefs.
The vote was 6-3, along ideological lines.
The court’s decision has, for months, had public school boards, administrators, and teachers worried about how to navigate opt-out demands of all kinds—from courses that include LGBTQ characters in books to science classes that teach Darwin’s theory of evolution.
At the center of Friday’s case was the Montgomery County, Md., school system, the most religiously diverse county in the nation, with 160,000 students of nearly all faiths. A group of parents sued the school board, seeking to opt their elementary school children out of classes when the reading material included books with LGBTQ characters. The parents argued that without an opt-out provision, their First Amendment religious freedoms were violated.
More Supreme Court decisions today:
- Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions in birthright citizenship order
- Supreme Court upholds key Obamacare measure on preventive care
- Supreme Court sides with Texas’ age verification law for porn sites
- Supreme Court postpones Louisiana redistricting case to next term
- Supreme Court upholds program providing internet access to rural Americans
Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito agreed, saying parents challenging the board’s introduction of the “LGBTQ+-inclusive” storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt-outs, are allowed to excuse their children from the classes related to the books while the litigation proceeds.
“The parents are likely to succeed on their claim that the Board’s policies unconstitutionally burden their religious exercise,” Alito wrote. He said the storybooks conveyed a “normative message” that seeks to separate gender from biological sex, contrary to their parents’ religious beliefs.
Writing for the three liberal justices, Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused the majority of seeking to insulate children from the United States’ multicultural society in its public schools, something that is “critical to our Nation’s civic vitality.”
“Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents’ religious beliefs,” she wrote.
The school board, backed by other parents, had argued that opt-out provisions were impractical. The board noted that it initially allowed parents to opt their children out of select lesson plans. But, the school system removed the opt-out provision when accommodating requests became too difficult and disruptive to class time. The board argued that while it is easy enough to facilitate single-class opt-outs, as the school district provides for sex education, it is much more challenging to take children from the classroom every time that a book mentions same sex parents or gay and lesbian kids.
But parents objecting to the storybooks maintained that the Supreme Court has long held that parents should be in charge of value-setting for their children and that forcing children to read LGBTQ-friendly storybooks, against their parents’ wishes, violated families’ First Amendment rights to religious freedoms.
Trump got his tax bill over the finish line. Now he has to sell it to voters
The 900-page tax and policy package fulfills several key campaign promises but also makes cuts that could boot millions from health care and food assistance programs.
What Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act means for taxes on Social Security
Many Americans received an email from the Social Security Administration applauding the megabill's passage. Experts say it was misleading.
What AI bot started referring to itself as ‘MechaHitler’? Find out in the quiz
Elon Musk and his AI have been busy. So has the TSA. And Amazon. Were you paying attention?
As Democrats spoil for a fight, a new face in the House is leading them on oversight
Rep. Robert Garcia is the new top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. At a moment when his party is craving more confrontation with President Trump, he says he's ready to lean into the fray.
How flood sirens could have saved lives in Texas
In the wake of the deadly flash floods in Texas, state leaders are exploring whether to install more flood warning sirens. Such sirens can save lives if they're part of a larger warning system.
European allies step up plans for Ukraine stabilization, with U.S. attending meeting
The force is expected to provide logistical and training experts to help reconstitute Ukraine's armed forces, secure Ukraine's skies and the Black Sea.