The Supreme Court handed down a sweeping victory for parental rights and religious freedom in Mahmoud v. Taylor, Montgomery County, MD, in June. The Justices ruled 6-3 that parents could opt out of lessons that went against their religious beliefs. In the Mahmoud case, parents objected to LGBTQ+ “inclusive storybooks” being used in Grades K-5.

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For many parents living in blue states, the Supreme Court ruling offers hope that their children will not be exposed to the leftist ideology on sex and gender.

Progressives in the public school system insist they are simply teaching “tolerance” to children of “bigoted” parents. After the ruling came down, the Montgomery School District sent an email out to staff lamenting, “This decision complicates our work creating a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable school system.”

Other districts argue that the use of LGBTQ+-inclusive books without an opt-out option falls within a school’s “authority to foster safe learning environments.”

The Mahmoud decision will require many public schools to adjust their NO opt-out policies and practices regarding a parent’s legal right to opt their children out… or be sued. Individual administrators, principals, school committee members, and teachers who refuse could be held personally liable under the new Supreme Court ruling.

So, it’s no wonder that the National Education Association (NEA) – the U.S.’s largest teachers union – is scrambling to find every legal loophole a public school district can use to get around the Supreme Court ruling in Mahmood.

NEA insists the Mahmoud ruling:

►Refers only to elementary students K-5 (not older children)

►Applies only to certain books (the ones mentioned in the lawsuit)

►Requires opt-out (meaning your child will automatically be opted in unless you opt out). It looks like many school districts are going to implement a cumbersome and difficult process to opt out.

►Declares the only opt-out exception is religious belief. (School districts can define “legitimate” religious beliefs, including getting a signed affidavit from a pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or other religious leader)

The NEA, along with many school administrators and school board associations, will try to deny your request to opt your child out of what they call “LGBTQ+ supportive” curriculum.

Blue States Dig In for the LGBTQ+ Agenda

Many blue statewide associations of school committees have denounced the Mahmoud decision calling it “an attack on the LGBTQ+ community”.

Many school districts, such as Montgomery County, MD, have denied parents the opt-out provision for any type of LGBTQ+ content, insisting parents have no rights when it comes to what their children will be taught in schools.

Mahmoud ended that for LGBTQ+ curriculum, but does it apply to teaching critical race theory, diversity, inclusion, equity, emotional and social learning, anti-American history lessons, pornographic sex ed classes, and so on? We shall see as potential new lawsuits could reach the Supreme Court.

Please lift in prayer that the Supreme Court will agree to hear the Foote v. Ludlow School District case, asking that schools no longer hide a child’s social transitioning at school from the child’s parents. These are known as Parental Exclusion Policies, and they are a wicked attack against the family. According to the Heritage Foundation, these policies are enforced in over 18,600 schools in America.

What’s more, school districts often say parents can opt their child out of content regarding human sexuality, but they will NOT allow opt-outs of educational content designed to “promote tolerance” of the LGBTQ+ community, which school districts could define as any book with an LGBTQ+ character or storyline.

In Massachusetts, for instance, the MA Association of School Committees (MASC) recommends that schools NOT adopt a universal “opt-out” policy, calling such a policy “burdensome” to the district and a surrendering of its “curriculum responsibilities”. MASC then lists ways to slow walk or deny a parent’s opt-out request.

Know Your Legal Rights

As parents, it’s important to know your legal rights, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor.

For instance:

• You have the right to speak out at school board meetings.
• You have the right to object to a school’s actions or policies.
• You have the right to receive a clear notice from your school regarding the curriculum that could generate a religious objection.
• You have the right to opt your children out of educational content that goes against your religious beliefs, regardless of when and in what class it is introduced.
• Your child has the right not to be discriminated against or bullied because you have opted him or her out of class.

While the NEA and school districts are looking for loopholes, the historic trend in Supreme Court decisions is often to expand rights, not limit them. For instance, if the Supreme Court upholds the rights of parents to opt out in one area, i.e., inappropriate storybooks, then that right is often expanded to include other parental decisions regarding a child’s education.

Thankfully, the Mahmoud decision has put families on firmer legal footing to object to the LGBTQ+ agenda infecting our schools and protect their children from this demonic ideology.

According to the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center “while Mahmoud dealt specifically with books containing messages about gender identity and sexual orientation, the language of the decision extends to any educational content that poses “a very real threat of undermining parents’ ability to instill their religious beliefs in their children”… or which exerts ‘a psychological pressure to conform’ contrary to a family’s religious beliefs.”

Parents now have a clear legal pathway to demand that their children are no longer forced to listen to gender identity indoctrination in their schools disguised as diversity and tolerance.

How to Opt-Out Your Child

Parents Defending Education recommends sending an email or letter to your school district to opt your child out of their school’s LGBTQ+ agenda in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor.

They have provided this sample email or letter for you to copy or edit. They suggest you keep a copy of your email or letter and all correspondence from your district.

Here is the letter…

Dear Superintendent X, School Board Members, Principal X, Assistant Principal X, Director of Student Services X,

Based on our religious beliefs, and the June 27, 2025, Supreme Court ruling, Mahmoud v. Taylor, I am hereby immediately opting out my children (add names)– from all LGBTQ+ related texts, surveys, and curricula lessons in their public schools, regardless of when that material is to be presented during the school day.

I am further exercising my right to opt my children out of mandatory preferred pronoun usage and shared-sex bathroom and locker room policies at their public schools, which are predicated on the district leadership’s beliefs about gender identity that run contrary to our religion and are a violation of both constitutional and statutory law.

I look forward to receiving communication from the district as to how you will implement the Mahmoud v. Taylor decision. Specifically, I look forward to learning about how and when you intend to be compliant with it and plan to alert parents about related changes to the district’s gender identity policies. I also look forward to learning about your plan to notify us about any upcoming LGBTQ+ lessons, including those on gender identity, before they are taught to our children in their public schools. Finally, I would also like to know what discipline will be applied if a teacher/principal/school does not honor this opt-out request.

Please confirm receipt of my request. My expectation is that my request be implemented on the first day of school.

Sincerely,

Parent/Advocate/Guardian

Let Us Pray

Thankfully, the Trump Administration is on the side of parents. The U.S. Department of Education has instructed schools to comply with parental rights laws – made stronger by the Supreme Court’s ruling – or risk losing federal funding. Let us pray that schools will comply.

Let’s pray that every plan, policy, rule, or directive devised by school districts to thwart parental rights will fail.

Let’s pray that parents will take an active role in discovering what is being taught in their child’s schools that goes against their religious beliefs and moral values. Pray that every parent will opt their child out of the LGBTQ+ indoctrination in our schools.

As students head back to school, let’s pray…

Dear Heavenly Father, watch over our children and protect them from all physical, emotional, and spiritual harm while they are in school or travelling to and from school. We pray that you would fill them with your knowledge and guide them in making right choices and deciding wisely, in choosing good friends who will encourage and support them. May their friendships bring them closer to You.

Be with them, Lord, if they get scared, anxious, or discouraged while at school. Guard their hearts and minds from harmful thoughts and sinful ideas taught to them while at school. Guide them to tune into you as you speak to their hearts.

May our children be kind to all they encounter and be shown kindness and respect in return. May their actions and words glorify Your Name. We pray that they can trust and obey You, and if they haven’t already, will receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV).

Add your own prayers in the comments below.

Belinda Brewster analyzes cultural, political, and world events from a biblical worldview. Belinda’s passion is to equip, support, and encourage parents and grandparents who are courageously battling against the spiritual and cultural forces impacting children and grandchildren. Photo Credit: John Moore/Getty Images.