WASHINGTON − An alphabet primer about children chasing their dog through a pride parade is now on the reading list for the Supreme Court.
The court on Friday agreed to decide whether Maryland parents who object to “Pride Puppy” and a handful of other books with LGBTQ+ characters should be able to get their children excused from the classroom when the controversial reading materials are being used in the Montgomery County Public Schools.
Lawyers for a group of parents from different religious backgrounds who are asking for an opt-out said their only other choice is send their kids to private school or to homeschool.
Encouraging “respect for all”
The books were introduced in the Montgomery County Public Schools at the start of the 2022-2023 school year as part of an ongoing effort to reflect the diversity of the community. Previous additions to the curriculum included a book about an Asian-American immigrant family and one recounting the life of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis.
“In addition to helping students explore sentence structure, word choice, and style, the storybooks support students’ ability to empathize, connect, and collaborate with peers and encourage respect for all,” lawyers for the school district told the Supreme Court.
The main character of “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope,” is a transgender boy. Another book, “Prince and Knight,” features a romance between two male characters.
After various teachers, administrators and parents raised concerns about the efficacy and age appropriateness of the books, the school system initially allowed students to be excused when the books were read in class. But officials said they had to discontinue that because the growing number of opt-out requests created other problems, such as high absenteeism and the difficulty of administering the opt-outs.
More:Why parents are clashing with schools over ‘Pride Puppy’ and other LGBTQ+ books
`Forced participation in instruction that violates their faith’
A group of parents, who are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, sued. They’ve asked the federal courts to force the schools to give them temporary opt-outs while they pursue a permanent waiver.
But a divided panel of appeals court judges said the parents hadn’t shown that they or their children had been coerced to believe or act contrary to their religious views.
“And simply hearing about other views does not necessarily exert pressure to believe or act differently than one’s religious faith requires,” 4th Circuit Appeals Court Judge G. Steven Agee wrote.
Agee said the parents may have a stronger case when the record on how the books are being used is more developed as the litigation continues.
But lawyers for the parents said they “should not have to wait until too late to protect their children against forced participation in instruction that violates their faith.”
“Under the Fourth Circuit’s reasoning, parents cannot be heard until after the damage has been done to their children,” lawyers for the parents told the Supreme Court. “But there is no unringing that bell—by then, innocence will be lost and beliefs undermined.”
The case is expected to be argued this spring.
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