Supreme Court to decide if families can opt out of reading LGBTQ books in the classroom

The Supreme Court will decide if Maryland parents, who object to LGBTQ books in the classroom, have a right to opt their children out of classes that use the material.

According to court papers, the district provided the books to teachers and expected them to be incorporated into the classroom by displaying them on shelves, using them for read-aloud, and recommending them to students. When the policy was first introduced, parents were given the option to opt out their children, according to a previous Fox News article, but the legal filing suggests this option was taken away when so many students were being opted out, that it caused high absenteeism.  

"As alleged in the amended complaint, on March 22, 2023, the Board publicly reiterated that when a teacher chose to use one of the Storybooks in their classrooms, ‘a notification goes out to parents about the book,' and, if a caregiver chooses to opt their child out, the teacher would ‘find a substitute text for that student that supports’ the same language arts standards and objectives," the documents states. 

"The following day, without explanation, the Board announced in a complete about-face that a notice and opt-out option would no longer be permitted," it continues. "Although the revised policy became effective immediately, old requests for accommodations were grandfathered in through the end of the 2022–2023 academic year, making the current 2023–2024 academic year the first year for which no students or their parents are provided notice or the opportunity to opt out from the Storybooks."