Posted on 05/17/2024 8:17:56 AM PDT by 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.
Well, if the Muslims start beheading Montgomery County school board members they’ll hear no objection from me.
Doesn’t mean I approve, just means I won’t object.
I think the Christians are simply too scared (rather than woke) to put up much of a fight. Telling them to expect FBI agents at their door for complaining at a school board meeting basically negates even having a board. Same reason that there is no more Tea Party, even though the conditions for wanting it are far stronger than back in 2009. Political freedom for conservatives ended on Jan 6th, 2021.
The Muslims know they’re far safer from this crap than Christians are, so they can complain without the fear of having their lives ruined.
This won't stop until THEY finally begin to fear US.
On to the Supremes.
Congress needs to reign them in. They control their jurisdictions.
There were four straight years of non-Communist, non-pedo, non-groomer judges.
Just think where we'd be if Cankles had been in the seat of power.
Which when administered by leftist perverts, is totally age inappropriate material for kids at that age.
The kids need to be taught to read, write, and figure and leave the rest of their education inn these matters to the parents.
And parents can't opt out? They hell they can't.
Leftists too often *forget* just whose money is paying for the education services and the teachers.
All levels of government are out of control.
In theory, yet=s.
Have you seen our congress lately?
Most of them are the ones who want the kids groomed. THEY are not going to object.
HILLSDALE CANNOT build their charter private schools quickly enough.
Excellent points, BobL.
Good for you.
How far we have fallen.
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Clearly the option here is to homeschool.
Anyone who does it first needs to join HSLDA - Homeschool Legal Defense Association even before contacting the school district.
Blame the blamable RINO's of 2 decades ago who promised us a marriage amendment IF the "courts got out of control," but then promptly forgot about that. There was well more than enough states who would have supported such an amendment in the early 2000's, but the wicked Republicans thought we had time.
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