A momentous parental rights victory was handed down by the United States Supreme Court on Friday, June 27, 2025. Details can be found here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-parents-says-schools-cant-mandate-lgbt-curricula. Parents of public school children should now expect their local districts to allow opt outs concerning instruction about sex and gender.
In Mahmoud, the Supreme Court applied its 1972 decision, Wisconsin v. Yoder, which held that parents have a right “to direct the religious upbringing of their children” and that this right can be infringed by laws that pose “a very real threat of undermining” the religious beliefs and practices that parents wish to instill in their children.
The ruling should act as a directive to every American school district. To that end, every school district should notify parents of controversial materials and provide them the opportunity to opt their children out – especially if there is a provision for opt-outs for other curriculum or other reasons, but exclude opt-outs for religious objections.
API suggests that parents go ahead and reach out to their districts over the summer to learn how their schools will adhere to the recent decision. A suggested template can be found here.
It is the right of religious parents to opt their children out of sex and gender-focused curriculum – regardless of when, where, and how it might introduced during the school day.
