Several years after the frustrations of parents burst into the public eye, some states and localities continue to lock out the most important stakeholders of a child’s education: parents. Recent oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor showed the entire nation why parental rights in education are more important now than ever.
Parents should always be in charge of their child’s education. This sounds like common sense, but it continues to be disregarded by leaders who are more interested in pursuing political agendas than educating children.
In the case of Mahmoud, the Supreme Court is examining the Montgomery County Board of Education’s decision to prevent parents from opting their child out of curriculum involving sexually-themed storybooks. The Maryland school district’s decision came despite concern from parents of multiple faiths that the literature contradicted their religious beliefs.
Content included Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope, a book listed on Amazon for preschool-aged children that encourages young children to change their gender. Other materials referenced terms that some parents found unsuitable for young children.
Montgomery County may be close to our nation’s capital, but the school district is willingly turning a blind eye to the American values of parental rights and religious freedom. By putting this material in front of elementary children over the objections of their parents, the Montgomery County School Board is blatantly disregarding the voices of those primarily responsible for raising and shaping our children.
Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the content at issue, parental voices should always be heard. In this case, parents of all different faiths objected to the district silencing their voices.
The school board’s response was outrageous: accusing the parents of aligning with “racist xenophobes and white supremacists,” according to the arguments made by attorneys before the Supreme Court.
Even Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Barack Obama and a reliably liberal vote on the court, referenced the sexual nature of the content geared toward young children and remarked, “I suspect there are a lot of non-religious parents who weren’t all that thrilled about this.”
Take it from the reliably left-wing Washington Post editorial board, which came down on the side of common sense in writing that “forcing children to read books that contravene their family’s faith suppresses diversity in the name of saving it.”
As the mother of two young children and a former educator myself, I would never want to see school officials force controversial content onto my children that opposes my sensibilities, no matter the topic. This is why I led the push to pass a “Parents Bill of Rights” through Congress in 2023, which would ensure parents have a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s education.
While my legislation passed the House of Representatives, the Democratic-led Senate at the time failed to meet the moment. I will continue to push for Congress to prioritize the voices of parents and ensure transparency in public education.
Keeping parents in the dark is never a recipe for success. My home state of Louisiana has a Parents Bill of Rights that specifically states a “school shall not discriminate against their child based upon the sincerely held religious beliefs of the child’s family.” Our statute also guarantees that parents can opt their child out of instruction on topics of concern.
This case in Maryland should be a clarion call for Congress to adopt the Louisiana approach for the entire nation. A Parents’ Bill of Rights codified into law is appropriate regardless of what the Supreme Court decides.
The rights of parents to be involved in their child’s learning must be a fundamental principle of our nation’s education system. This term, the Supreme Court and Congress have a golden opportunity to champion parents’ rights appropriately.
Julia Letlow represents Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a mother, former educator, and member of the House Education and Workforce Committee.