Maryland advocates and elected officials are reacting to Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that Montgomery County Public Schools must allow parents to opt their children out of lessons using LGBTQ+ books on the basis of religious freedom.
State Democrats and queer rights advocates decry the decision as a step back for inclusion. But Maryland Republicans are praising the ruling as “victory for common sense and for parental rights,” according to a statement from Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey.
“Montgomery County Public Schools took the extreme step of shutting parents out of the process by denying their ability to opt out of curriculum that goes against their family’s values,” Hershey wrote. “That’s not inclusive—it’s authoritarian.”
Mark Eckstein is co-chair of advocacy for Metro DC PFLAG, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting equality and well-being for LGBTQ+ people. He’s also a parent of children in the Montgomery County school system.
“Today is a dark day,” he told WYPR. “[The ruling] definitely sends just a terrible message of lack of inclusivity, and the frustration that school systems face all across the country, and definitely in Montgomery County, where there are multiple lawsuits of some very loud, vocal minorities that are really disrupting kind of everyday experience in public schools.”
In 2022, the suburban-DC school district adopted books with queer storylines to better reflect the diversity of its families, according to The Baltimore Banner. The school board originally allowed parents to opt-out of select lessons, but reversed that decision because accommodating the number of requests became “too difficult and disruptive to class time.”
Per state law, parents are able to opt their kids out of lessons on sexuality and gender identity in school health classes. Eckstein said he fears the decision to require more opt-outs will cause districts nationwide to censor material entirely.
“The opt-outs and the parental notifications are completely impossible,” Eckstein said. “They're unworkable. It's a logistical nightmare within our public schools.”
In an emailed statement, the Montgomery County school board and public school system said the decision marks “a significant challenge for public education nationwide.”
“Today’s decision is not the outcome we hoped for or worked toward,” the statement reads. “ In Montgomery County Public Schools, we will determine next steps and navigate this moment with integrity and purpose—guided, as always, by our shared values of learning, relationships, respect, excellence, and equity.”
Eckstein said this decision is a disappointing setback, but not the end.
“To all those that have been ill-served from the perspective of a marginalized community, but especially in this case to LGBTQ and queer youth — I know it's cliche, but they cannot erase us,” he said. “They cannot erase you. The decision of one court cannot take away that reality from our students.”
