In Mahmoud v. Taylor, a group of parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, challenged a local Board of Education’s policy. The policy mandated that elementary school students read books featuring LGBTQ+ themes without prior parental notification or the option to opt out. The parents, hailing from diverse religious backgrounds—including Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity—argued that this policy infringed upon their First Amendment rights by compelling their children to engage with material that contradicts their religious beliefs.
On May 15, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the school district’s policy, ruling that parents do not have a constitutional right to be notified about or exempt their children from LGBTQ+ themed instructional content. In response, on September 12, 2024, the parents, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review the case. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the balance between public educational curricula and parental rights concerning religious upbringing.
