Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen in Washington Nov AP Photo J Scott Applewhite File AP J Scott Applewhite FILE - The Supreme Court is seen in Washington Nov AP Photo J Scott Applewhite File AP J Scott Applewhite WASHINGTON AP The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Maryland parents who have religious objections can pull their children from masses school lessons using LGBTQ storybooks The justices reversed lower-court rulings in favor of the Montgomery County school system in suburban Washington The high court ruled that the schools likely could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material The decision was not a final ruling in the development but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end The court ruled that policies like the one at issue in the incident are subjected to the strictest level of review nearly reliably dooming them The school district introduced the storybooks including Prince Knight and Uncle Bobby s Wedding in as part of an effort to better reflect the district s diversity In Uncle Bobby s Wedding a niece worries that her uncle won t have as much time for her after he gets married to another man The justices have repeatedly endorsed maintains of religious discrimination in latest years and the circumstance is among several religious-rights cases at the court this term The decision also comes amid increases in contemporary years in books being banned from community school and residents libraries Countless of the removals were organized by Moms for Liberty and other conservative organizations that advocate for more parental input over what books are available to students Soon after President Donald Trump a Republican took office in January the Learning Department called the book bans a hoax and dismissed complaints that had been filed under Trump s predecessor President Joe Biden a Democrat The writers group Pen America stated in a court filing in the Maryland episode that the objecting parents required a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name Pen America broadcasted more than books were banned in the last school year Parents initially had been allowed to opt their children out of the lessons for religious and other reasons but the school board reversed class a year later prompting protests and eventually a lawsuit At arguments in April a lawyer for the school district reported the justices that the opt outs had become disruptive Sex schooling is the only area of instruction in Montgomery schools that students can be excused from lawyer Alan Schoenfeld declared The matter hit unusually close to home as three justices live in the county though they didn t send their children to residents schools Follow the AP s coverage of the U S Supreme Court at https apnews com hub us-supreme-court END PREP The Supreme Court s conservative majority on Tuesday signaled promotion for the religious rights of parents in Maryland who want to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters The court seemed likely to find that the Montgomery County school system in suburban Washington could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material The episode is one of three religious rights cases at the court this term The justices have repeatedly endorsed states of religious discrimination in fresh years The school district introduced the storybooks in with such titles as Prince and Knight and Uncle Bobby s Wedding as part of an effort to better reflect the district s diversity Parents initially were allowed to opt their children out of the lessons for religious and other reasons but the school board reversed curriculum a year later prompting protests and eventually a lawsuit The situation hit unusually close to home as three justices live in the county though none sent their children to general schools I guess I am a bit mystified as a lifelong resident of the county how it came to this Justice Brett Kavanaugh commented Kavanaugh also expressed surprise that the school system was not respecting religious liberty especially because of the county s diverse population and Maryland s history as a haven for Catholics Pressed repeatedly about why the school system couldn t reinstitute an opt-out procedures lawyer Alan Schoenfeld noted It tried that It failed It was not able to accommodate the number of opt-outs at issue Sex development is the only area of instruction in Montgomery schools that students can be excused from Schoenfeld declared Justices referred to several of the books but none as extensively as Uncle Bobby s Wedding in which a niece worries that her uncle will not have as much time for her after he gets married to another man Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Justice Samuel Alito who are on opposite sides of majority of culture-war clashes offered competing interpretations Is looking at two men getting married is that the religious objection Sotomayor commented noting there s not even any kissing involved Alito described the book as an endorsement of same-sex marriage The book has a clear message and a lot of people think it s a good message and maybe it is a good message but it s a message that a lot of people who hold on to traditional religious beliefs don t agree with he commented In all five books are at issue in the high court development touching on the same themes uncovered in classic stories that include Snow White Cinderella and Peter Pan the school system s lawyers wrote In Prince and Knight two men fall in love after they rescue the kingdom and each other Love Violet deals with a girl s anxiety about giving a valentine to another girl Born Ready is the story of a transgender boy s decision to share his gender identity with his family and the world Intersection Allies describes nine characters of varying backgrounds including one who is gender-fluid Billy Moges a board member of the Kids First parents group that sued over the books reported the content is sexual confusing and inappropriate for young schoolchildren The writers group Pen America stated in a court filing what the parents want is a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name Pen America shared more than books were banned in the last school year A decision in Mahmoud v Taylor is expected by early summer Source