Schools must allow parents to opt their children out of curriculum based on religious objections in some scenarios, according to a 6-3 Supreme Court decision handed down Friday.
The key Mahmoud v. Taylor decision signifies a win for parents in Maryland's largest school district and could impact school policies nationwide, as the court weighed in on LGBTQ+ curriculum policies that have contributed to a polarized national landscape.
"For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children," wrote Justice Samuel Alito in the majority opinion. "And the practice of educating one’s children in one’s religious beliefs, like all religious acts and practices, receives a generous measure of constitutional protection."
Alito pointed specifically to LGBTQ+ children's books, such as those portraying same-sex marriage, saying they "are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated, and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected."
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elana Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, saying public schools are meant to "offer to children of all faiths and backgrounds an education and an opportunity to practice living in a multicultural society." Yet as a result of the majority opinion, "children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs," according to the dissent written by Sotomayor, and joined by Kagan and Jackson.
