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Maryland schools may force students to read LGBTQ books, federal appeals court rules
May 17, 2024
» Continue to this story on Bloomberg Law
CWN Editor's Note: In a 2-1 decision, a federal appeals court ruled that Maryland’s largest public school system does not have to grant an opt-out option to lessons involving LGBTQ-themed books.
“In the 2022-23 school year, Montgomery County added more than 22 books with LGBTQ+ themes to its language arts curriculum for use in the classroom,” Bloomberg Law reported. The school system originally granted parents an opt-out option, but then backtracked and denied parents the option.
A group of six Muslim, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox parents filed suit against the school district. The appeals court ruled that “there’s no evidence at present that the Board’s decision not to permit opt-outs compels the parents or their children to change their religious beliefs or conduct, either at school or elsewhere.”
“We understand the parents’ contention that the storybooks could be used in ways that would confuse or mislead children and, in particular, that discussions relating to their contents could be used to indoctrinate their children into espousing views that are contrary to their religious faith,” the court continued. “But none of that is verified by the limited record that is before us.”
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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