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🌊 A Muslim, a Jew, and a Catholic walk into a courtroom...
Should parents have the right to pull their kids out of school?
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By Max Frost
A Muslim, a Jew, and a Catholic walk into a courtroom…
This isn’t the start of a joke but of a Supreme Court case heard last week that both conservatives and liberals say could redraw parents’ rights in education.
The case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, revolves around parents’ simple request: To pull their kids out of class during LGBTQ-focused lessons. Under scrutiny is whether they have that right.
In today’s deep dive, we break down the potentially pivotal Supreme Court case, examine both sides’ arguments, and consider how the forthcoming ruling could alter education in the US.
In November 2022, Montgomery County – a wealthy Maryland county bordering Washington, DC – approved a set of LGBTQ-focused books for inclusion in curriculum. One book was approved for each year from pre-K through fifth grade.
Initially, the district notified parents that the books would be used and allowed parents to pull their kids out of instruction. In March 2023, though, it changed that policy: Citing “a growing number of opt-out requests,” the school prohibited opt-outs "for any reason."
The move sparked anger, particularly among religious parents who objected to the inclusion of books like “My Rainbow” (about an autistic child who says, “I’m a transgender girl”) and “Born Ready” (about a girl who tells her mom, “I don’t feel like a boy. I AM a boy”).
Two Muslim parents sued, alleging that the school’s prohibition of opt-outs violated their Constitutional rights. After parents of other faiths – Jews, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians – joined on, the case ended up at the Supreme Court, where it was argued last week.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer summarized their argument as such:
Forcing Petitioners to submit their children to such instruction violates their religious beliefs and directly interferes with their ability to direct the religious upbringing of their children.
He cited past rulings like Wisconsin v. Yoder, which exempted Amish parents from having to send their children to school past the eighth grade, and other instances in which Montgomery County allows opt-outs for religious reasons.
The respondents’ lawyer summarized their arguments as such:
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Editor’s Note
Thank you all for reading. We’re interested to hear your opinion on this: Should it be up to the parents? Could it open Pandora’s box? Curious to hear what you think. Reply to this email to let us know.
In case you missed them, here are our last five reports:
Now, some reader replies to yesterday’s story on the rising India-Pakistan tensions.
Z from Pakistan wrote:
Pakistan is essentially a military state where the government (regardless of which political party is in power at any given time) and the judiciary are controlled by the army, either in return for material gains or through blackmail, usually both. There is little doubt among Pakistanis that the military supports a variety of militant groups, some conducting terrorist activities across borders while others within the state. It may seem strange that the military would support groups conducting terrorism within the country, but this is typically done to keep Pakistan's various ethnic, religious and political groups in check. These activities may sometimes harm the military's interests, but the general attitude here is that a wild animal can always bite its handler, and that risk is deemed acceptable.
Conflict with India over Kashmir is the Pakistani military's raison d'ĂŞtre. Therefore, they are deeply invested in this issue never being resolved. The military enjoyed immense popularity with the public over the last few decades, mostly built through propaganda. That popularity has taken a nosedive over the last two years due to their blatant interference in national politics. I would not be surprised if the recent incident, and India's expected response, are a ploy to garner national support.
I think the current issue should be solved through international mediation which extracts a firm and enforceable commitment from the Pakistani state to stop all support of militant groups.
Usman from Rawalpindi wrote:
You can blame Pakistan all you want, but the fact is there is terrorism in Kashmir because India is holding it against the will of the people. It’s natural that when you oppress a large group of people, they will retaliate. We’ve seen it in Palestine and we’ll see it in Kashmir.
And Rajesh from Chennai wrote:
People will try to apologize for these terrorists saying their just fighting for the Kashmiri people. All their doing is making the lives of people in Kashmir far worse. This is politics – Pakistan taking shots at India because thats what they do.
To all the new readers who signed up, thank you. For those who are new here, sometimes our stories are behind a paywall, and sometimes they’re free. We’re happy to have you riding the wave. We hope to help you cut through the noise of what’s going on in the world. Have a fantastic weekend.
—Max and Max