After a federal court in May ruled to uphold another court’s order denying an opt-out option for LGBTQ+ storybooks in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) curriculum, last week a group of parents asked the Supreme Court to reinstate opt-outs.
Per a release, the counsel representing parents appealed the May ruling to the Supreme Court on Thursday: “After the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to restore their rights, these parents are asking the Supreme Court to do so,” according to Becket law firm. The Supreme Court “will consider whether to hear the case later this fall.”
In summer 2023 there were multiple rallies in Rockville outside the school board meeting building during which parents voiced their demands for an opt-out option. Parents and advocates who supported LGBTQ+ inclusion in MCPS curriculum joined counter-protests.
Last year three families sued MCPS then-Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight and school board members after, per the lawsuit, the board reversed its rule allowing families to opt out of classroom instruction regarding family life and human sexuality. Previously referred to as Mahmoud v. McKnight, Becket now refers to the case as Mahmoud v. Taylor. Dr. Thomas Taylor assumed the position of School Superintendent in June.
In August of 2023 after a federal judge ruled against a preliminary injunction that would have required MCPS to allow opt-outs as the lawsuit went on, McKnight said MCPS was “grateful and happy’ with the ruling.
