Overview
- At a Feb. 10 hearing chaired by Rep. Kevin Kiley, the House education subcommittee examined whether schools are following Mahmoud v. Taylor, which recognized parents’ right to opt children out of certain lessons on religious grounds.
- Republicans cited California and Seattle Public Schools as examples of jurisdictions they say are narrowing or denying opt-outs after the ruling.
- Democrats, led by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, warned that expansive opt-outs risk censorship and exclusion and argued for supporting locally elected school boards on curriculum decisions.
- Legal scholar Zalman Rothschild testified that the Supreme Court’s standard could prove difficult to limit and may disrupt classroom instruction across subjects.
- The ruling stemmed from objections to early-grade LGBTQ+-themed materials in Montgomery County, with conservative witnesses praising the decision and criticizing books such as “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” and “Pride Puppy!”