Almost 300 parents in a Maryland school district have filed a lawsuit, going as far as the Supreme Court, to opt out their children from a gender and sexuality curriculum they deem inappropriate for their age.
Nearly 300 parents in a Maryland school district have joined forces in a lawsuit to opt their children out of a gender and sexuality curriculum implemented last year. The curriculum, introduced in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), includes books that discuss gender transitions, pride parades, and pronoun preferences with children as young as three and four.
Parents Fight for Opt-Out Rights in Maryland LGBTQ Book List Lawsuit
The Montgomery County Board of Education removed parental notices and opt-outs for the curriculum, prompting the parents to file a lawsuit and seek Supreme Court intervention. The parents, represented by Becket, argue that the removal violates Maryland law, the Board’s policies, and the advice of elementary school principals.
"The School Board’s decision to cut parents out of these discussions flouts that enduring tradition and common sense," said William Haun, senior counsel at Becket. "We're asking the Justices to restore notice and opt-outs, and allow parents to raise their children according to their beliefs."
Parents Fight for Opt-Out Rights in Maryland LGBTQ Book List Lawsuit
The lawsuit highlights several books in the curriculum that parents find concerning. One book, "Pride Puppy," includes a word bank for three and four-year-olds that includes terms like "intersex flag," "drag queen," and "underwear." Another book implies that doctors merely "guess" a newborn's sex.
"Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope" promotes a "child-knows-best approach" to gender transitioning, suggesting that children should be allowed to decide their gender without parental involvement.
Parents Fight for Opt-Out Rights in Maryland LGBTQ Book List Lawsuit
Grace Morrison, a board member of Kids First, an advocacy group for parental rights in Montgomery County Schools, emphasizes the importance of parental choice. "The School Board is pushing a controversial ideology that has been rejected by governments around the world and has even been criticized by the Board’s own principals as inappropriate for the intended age group," she said.
Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, argues that parents should not be marginalized when it comes to introducing their children to sensitive topics. "Nearly every state requires parental consent before high schoolers can attend sex-ed," he said. "Parents should have the right to excuse their elementary school children when related instruction is introduced during story hour."
Parents Fight for Opt-Out Rights in Maryland LGBTQ Book List Lawsuit
The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case this fall. If accepted, the case will set a precedent for parental rights and the role of schools in teaching sensitive topics.
