Appeals Court: Parents Cannot Opt K-5 Children Out of Pro-LGBTQ Curriculum

American Greatness ^ | 05/17/24 | Eric Lendrum

[SeekAndFind]

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that parents in Maryland’s largest school district do not have the right to opt their children out of pro-LGBTQ curriculum in the K-5 grades.

As reported by Fox News, the 2-1 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous decision by a lower court, which denied the parents a preliminary injunction based on their alleged failure to prove that the policy would constitute a violation of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The plaintiffs, three pairs of parents who sued Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), argued that their children being forced to read such books as “The Pride Puppy,” “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope,” would be in violation of both federal law and state law.

Such teachings directly clash with what the parents want to teach their children about “what it means to be male and female; the institution of marriage; human sexuality; and related themes.”

The pairs of parents each represented one of the three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. They were supported in their lawsuit by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and argued that it was their responsibility, not the school’s, to teach their children about sexuality.

But the appeals court ruled that children being exposed to conflicting worldviews is “part of the compromise parents make when choosing to send their children to public schools,” and did not amount to a big enough burden that it would qualify as a First Amendment violation.

“We take no view on whether the Parents will be able to present evidence sufficient to support any of their various theories once they have the opportunity to develop a record as to the circumstances surrounding the Board’s decision and how the challenged texts are actually being used in schools,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, who was appointed by George W. Bush appointee, in the opinion of the majority. “At this early stage, however, given the Parents’ broad claims, the very high burden required to obtain a preliminary injunction, and the scant record before us, we are constrained to affirm the district court’s order denying a preliminary injunction.”

The lone dissent came from U.S. Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., who was appointed by President Donald Trump.

“The parents have shown the board’s decision to deny religious opt-outs burdened these parents’ right to exercise their religion and direct the religious upbringing of their children by putting them to the choice of either compromising their religious beliefs or foregoing a public education for their children,” said Quattlebaum in his dissent.

dissent.

“The court just told thousands of Maryland parents they have no say in what their children are taught in public schools,” said Eric Baxter, senior counsel and vice president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “That runs contrary to the First Amendment, Maryland law, the School Board’s own policies, and basic human decency.“

The case and its outcome represent a major setback for the parents’ rights movement, which began in 2021 and subsequently saw widespread grassroots success in local and state elections across the country, culminating in the red wave of 2021 which saw Republicans sweep Virginia and nearly flip New Jersey.

[BobL]

Public schools - THEY own them, not us. Still blows my mind that IDIOT PARENTS think they have any control over those schools...but they never learn, never.

[hanamizu]

Setback my butt - pull them out of school outright.

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That is one option. The other is to elect a school board that doesn’t authorize the alphabet curriculum. The one does not exclude the other.

[MeganC]

Another Reason To Homeschool

[kiryandil]

At the District level (District of Maryland):

Deborah Lynn Boardman, District stooge [appointed by The Tater, 52 to 48]. (8:23-cv-01380-DLB), ruling in favor of the groomers and pedos

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals:

Before G. Steven Agee [Smirking Chimp stooge], A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. [Trump judge] and DeAndrea G. Benjamin [Biden stooge], Circuit Judges.

A 2 to 1 decision - two Commie nutters versus a sane Trump judge.

Trump judge Quattelbaum dissented from the two tranny whackjobs.

Smirking Chimp judge Agee, ruling in favor of the groomers and pedos:

Biden stooge DeAndrea, ruling in favor of the groomers and pedos:

Trump judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, ruling AGAINST the groomers and pedos, and in favor of God and country:

[ealgeone]

Ok. Mandatory Bible classes.

[blackdog]

Public schools are an outright case of child abuse. That’s why I home schooled my children long ago. One lawyer. One Engineer. One Librarian that does restoration of rare books and historical documents.

[gibsonguy]

“part of the compromise parents make when choosing to send their children to public schools,”

Well that’s BS, most don’t have a choice. Few can afford a private or home schooling option. The rat judges are forcing these kids into getting groomed by the creeps. Dox these bastards

[null and void]

Have the courts never heard of homeschooling?

[skr]

I didn’t go to kindergarten, but I do not recall much in the way of “world views” as part of my 1-6 years. That’s when I was taught American history, the history of Florida, the 3 Rs, some Spanish and some basic science. High school was the time for branching out to other countries/the world, and there was never any discussion or coursework about sexual deviancy.

These courts are totally ignoring the rights of parents and their children to not be propagandized.

[TalBlack]

The hell they don’t…It’s time people put their foot down.

[Macoozie]

Trouble is . . . in most places, property tax is the school tax. So you have to pay even if you choose to home school or send to a private school.

Lots of Blue States have local property taxes approaching $10K. (Many are way above that)

So you have to then pay twice.

Some communities have taken a firm hold of local school boards. But many other folks just don’t have the expertise, time, or money to do that.

Rich get what they want. Poor folk get screweled.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Welcome to Gammorah! Robert Bork was right!!

[cyclotic]

Figure out a way. Parents who keep their kids in public schools hate their children. They are without excuse.

Find a way or make one.

[Amendment10]

Thank you for referencing that article SeekAndFind.

"As reported by Fox News, the 2-1 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous decision by a lower court, which denied the parents a preliminary injunction based on their alleged failure to prove that the policy would constitute a violation of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion [emphasis added]."

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FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

Jesus taught in Mark 7:7-13, particularly verse 13, that not even religious leaders have the right to interfere with parental authority, religious leaders wrongly nullifying the "Honor your father and mother commandment" by doing so.

Also, if Christian parents represent what majority local taxpaying voters want concerning this issue, then the federal court is wrongly abridging constitutionally guaranteed republican form of government imo.

"Article IV, Section 4 (4.4): The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government [emphasis added], and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

On the other hand, it is arguably good that parental rights are not expressly mentioned in the Constitution because some “parents” don't deserve to be parents imo.

• Texas mom beat infant to death ‘out of vengeance’ because the father ‘no longer wanted a relationship’ (4.5.23)

• Father used cattle prod on his children multiple times ‘for discipline’: Deputies (4.5.23)

Democratic and Republican Trump supporters need to support hopeful Trump 47 with a new patriot Congress so that he will not only not be a lame duck president from the first day of his second term in office, the new Congress also removing Constitution-ignoring judges from the bench.

[gibsonguy]

For sure the times we are in demand it, save your kids.

[Albion Wilde]

Move to a free state.

It's ironic—that is one of two so-called official nicknames of Maryland: “The Free State.” In the old days, we used to see businesses adopt that nick: "Free State Auto Repair," "Free State Grocery," etc.

[It Aint Easy]

Call them what they are, “government education camps”. Ain’t nothing ‘public’ about them anymore.

[Ban Draoi Marbh Draoi]

Sin angers the Lord on general principle but the sin of corrupting children is especially hateful to Him and is expressly singled out for an exceptionally severe judgment.

Matt. 18:6 and Luke 17:2

[Seruzawa]

Next will be child endangerment criminal charges against parents who try to shield their children from this perverted insanity

[Albion Wilde]

This is an appalling decision.

It's not entirely surprising that the original push to start this lawsuit was from muslim families and CAIR. Montgomery County is hugely Democrat, so even the so-called Christian parents were probably too virtue-obsessed to object to this stuff until the muslims started demonstrating outside the schools. But I guess when it comes to intersectionality, transgender even trumps Islam: what's really surprising is that the Court didn't cave to the muslims.

This is how bad it had gotten in Montgomery County:

September 11, 2023:
DHS Awards Anti-Terror Grant for LGBTQ Group to Indoctrinate 6-Year-Olds [Montgomery County]
Aug 10, 2023:
Muslim, Christian parents rally outside Maryland courthouse for students’ religious rights
June 27, 2023:
Hundreds of Md. parents protest lessons they say offend their faiths
June 7, 2023:
WATCH: Muslim And Christian Parents Show Up In Force To Protest LGBT Books At Maryland School Board
April 11, 2023:
Maryland school district rescinds opt-out policy for parents, pushes LGBTQ books as required reading
April 7, 2023:
Muslim group decries Maryland school district for blocking parental opt-outs
November 15, 2022:
Maryland school district unveils LGBTQ book list that teaches words 'intersex,' 'drag queen' to pre-K students
October 11, 2022:
Montgomery County Schools Saw 582% Increase In Reported Gender Nonconforming Students Over Two Years, Data Shows
August 31, 2022:
Ze Started It: Maryland High School Pushes 'Ze, Zir, Zirs' Pronouns on Students
July 22, 2022:
Maryland School’s Guidelines Claim Kids Have A ‘Right’ To Keep In-School Gender Identities Private
July 13, 2022:
Maryland Elementary Schoolers To Learn About Privilege and Systemic Racism
[Montgomery County to teach Southern Poverty Law Center's ‘social justice’ curriculum]

Here are reports of the original ruling:

August, 2023:
Biden-Appointed Judge Rules Maryland Parents Have No Right to Opt Their Children Out of Woke LGBTQ Curriculum
Judge rejects religious parents request to restore opt-out option for LGBT book curriculum
‘Not a Fundamental Right’: Maryland Court Strikes Down Parents’ Request to Opt Kids Out of LGBT Curriculum
School district misled court on why it banned opt-out for LGBTQ lessons, religious groups say
June, 2023:
Muslim-led parents’ group protests LGBT curriculum mandate in Maryland school system
May, 2023:
Religious families sue school district for allegedly subjecting their children to sexual content
April, 2023:
Muslim group decries Maryland school district for blocking parental opt-outs