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The Supreme Court appears to side with parents in religious liberty dispute over storybooks
The Supreme Court's conservative majority offered support for parents seeking to be informed about their children's reading material in schools that they argue conflicts with their faith.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority offered strong support for parents seeking the religious liberty right to be informed about and opt their children out of reading material in elementary schools that they say conflicts with their faith.
The Montgomery County, Maryland school board withdrew its original opt-out policy for books related to gender and sexuality, prompting a federal lawsuit.
In a marathon two-and-a-half oral argument, the justices debated whether parents have been unfairly burdened in exercising their constitutional rights.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor and her liberal colleagues appeared to back the county's position on the storybooks. She noted a lower appeals court had refused a preliminary injunction to temporarily reinstate the opt-out policy.
Alito echoed the views of several of his conservative colleagues, about returning to the previous policy that he said most schools around the country permit.
"What is the big deal about allowing them to opt out of this?" he asked.
he school district refused to allow parents to opt out of their elementary school from the reading program - the same way older students can forego sex ed instruction.
While the school board initially allowed parents to keep their children out of this curriculum, the plaintiffs say officials quickly reversed course, announcing in March 2023 that exceptions would not be granted and that parents would not be notified before the books were introduced into their children's classrooms. Officials cited increased absenteeism as one of the reasons for the change.