Curt Flewelling, FISM News

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A coalition of concerned parents from different religions has banded together to take on a Maryland school district that they say is thwarting their constitutionally protected right to control the religious upbringing of their children.

The group of Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant families is represented by the Becket Law Group, a nonprofit public interest law firm devoted to “defending the freedom of religion of people of all faiths.” The group filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Maryland on behalf of the families on Wednesday.

The controversy started back in late 2022 when the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBE) announced to the public that they were introducing 20 new “inclusive” Pride Storybooks into the curricula for their pre-K through eighth-grade students.

THE BOOKS

Some of the content contained within these books caught the attention of concerned parents who felt that the subject matter was not age-appropriate for young children and also promoted concepts that were in direct conflict with their religious beliefs.

The books spoke of pride parades, gender transitioning, and pronoun preferences for children. The troubled families voiced their concern about such books and were initially reassured by the MCBE that they would be notified when the books were being read, and could opt their child out of class during that time.

Most states, including Maryland, require school boards to notify parents when teaching family life and human sexuality curricula to children. Opt-out provisions are extended as a matter of course to any family that may feel uncomfortable with what is being presented to their kids.

POLICY CHANGE

However, MCBE policy abruptly changed in March of this year when the board summarily announced that it would no longer be notifying parents of upcoming lessons that could be deemed controversial nor would the parents have the option to opt out if they were aware of such material being introduced to students.

A board member defended the reversal by saying, “Allowing opt-outs because these books ‘offend’ your religious rights or your family values or your core beliefs is just telling your kid, ‘here’s another reason to hate another person.’”

The reversal of a fairly standard procedure of extending this common courtesy to families was met swiftly by slighted parents. Becket Senior Counsel Eric Baxter quickly issued the following in a press release:

Children are entitled to guidance from their own parents, who know and love them best, regarding how they’ll be introduced to complex issues concerning gender identity, transgenderism, and human sexuality.

The irony of the board’s decision to “exclude” parental input on issues regarding “inclusivity”, led Baxter to say, “Forced, ideological discussions during story hour won’t cut it, and excluding parents will only hinder, not help inclusivity.”