Supreme Court asked to hear case on restoring opt-out options for gender and sexuality instruction.

Parents from a Maryland school district, comprising of Muslims, Jews, and Christians, have filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court to safeguard their children's right to be exempt from a gender and sexuality curriculum that they deem inappropriate for their age group.

Last year, the Montgomery County Board of Education removed parental notices and opt-outs for instruction on gender transitions, pride parades, and pronoun preferences with children as young as three and four.

Some parents in the district are continuing their legal battle, seeking a Supreme Court ruling to reinstate the curriculum opt-out, after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied their request in Mahmoud v. Taylor.

The parents, represented by Becket, announced on Friday that they believe their inability to opt-out is a violation of Maryland law, the Board's policies, and the advice of its own elementary school principals.

William Haun, a senior counsel at Becket, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Montgomery County has a history of allowing parents, rather than the government, to introduce their children to sensitive topics regarding gender and sexuality.

"The School Board's decision to exclude parents from discussions goes against tradition and common sense, he stated. He urged the Justices to reinstate notice and opt-outs, allowing parents to raise their children according to their beliefs."

In 2022, MCPS introduced new "inclusivity" books to the pre-K through fifth grade curriculum.

Another book instructs teachers to say doctors only "guess" when identifying a newborn's sex.

The book "Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope" advocates for a "child-knows-best" approach to gender transitioning. In one section, a mother tells her children that the decision to transition doesn't have to "make sense." Later in the book, when a child explains their chosen gender to the teacher, the teacher describes herself as the student, learning from the child's experience.

Since the case is still pending litigation, MCPS did not provide a statement to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Grace Morrison, a board member of Kids First, an organization of parents and teachers advocating for notice and opt-outs in Montgomery County Schools, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that she is opposing the district's policy that no longer allows parents to opt their child out of the curriculum because the content would take away her 10-year-old daughter's innocence.

"Morrison stated on Friday that the School Board is promoting a controversial ideology that has been rejected by governments worldwide and criticized by the Board's own principals as inappropriate for the intended age group. He argued that children should have a period of innocence and urged the Supreme Court to take the case, restore the opt-out, and allow parents to decide when to introduce their own elementary school kids to sensitive topics."

Eric Baxter, Becket's vice president and senior counsel, stated that parents should not be excluded from discussing gender and sexuality with their children.

"Nearly every state mandates parental consent for high schoolers to attend sex-ed," he stated. "Parents should have the right to remove their elementary school children during related instruction during story hour."

The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case this fall.