by Evelyn San Miguel ‘26

In recent months, Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor has made waves in Montgomery County as the majority conservative court is likely to rule in favor of the opt-out option. The parents in favor of the opt-out policy are from a variety of religious backgrounds, and their requests to opt their children out from the reading of K-6 books with LGBTQ+ themes have furthered ongoing debate in regards to parental rights to the themes that their children are being exposed to in schools. The parents, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, argued that MCPS violated their First Amendment rights to religious freedom in reversing its policy to allow the opting-out of readings of books that contained themes conflicting with their religious beliefs. Since the court agreed to hear the case on January 17, concerns have mounted across the country as to what the potential ruling will mean for parents, students, and school systems in the United States.

Criticisms, most notably in an Editorial from the Washington Post, questioned why MCPS felt it necessary to bring a mostly “minor administrative issue” to the attention of the Supreme Court when it was more likely than not that the court would rule in favor of the parents. Based on precedent from other Supreme Court cases, the county’s argument revolves around the idea that parents forfeit some of their discretion to the specifics of what content their children are receiving in the classroom. The county has also stated in oral arguments that the opt-out program would cause significant disruption to class activities. Expecting a final ruling in either June or July, the outcome of this case will set the stage for further debate on a number of prominent issues in American politics.