Fury as Maryland parents are told they CAN'T opt their young kids out of LGBTQ classes

Daily Mail UK ^ | May 16, 2024 | Nic White

[Morgana]

Parents cannot force a school district to let them pull their children out of classes with LGBTQ themes, an appeals court has ruled.

Three sets of parents and a parental rights group sued the Montgomery County Public Schools board in Maryland after it announced the classes in 2022.

They claimed not being allowed to opt out their kindergarten to grade 5 children violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.

But the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied their request for a preliminary injunction 2-1 as the parents failed to show how the policy would infringe their rights

The parents - one Muslim, one Christian, and one Chinese - objected to their children being exposed to themes they said conflicted with their religions.

The English language arts curriculum reading list included books like Uncle Bobby's Wedding, The Pride Puppy, and Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.

Litigants insisted it was up to them to teach their kids 'what it means to be male and female; the institution of marriage; human sexuality; and related themes'.

What their children learn should be decided by them, not the schools, they argued, also claiming the subject matter was too mature for young children.

Two of the three judges disagreed, ruling the mere exposure of children to ideas against their faith was not by itself contrary to the First Amendment.

Children learning about issues they disagree with is 'part of the compromise parents make when choosing to send their children to public schools', they wrote.

[Chickensoup]

That’s one.