A district court ruled against parents of students in the Montgomery County school district who were demanding to be allowed to opt out of schools teaching LGBTQ propaganda.
The parents, who included many of the Muslim faith, were calling for an injunction ahead of August 28, when school is scheduled to begin again. They were originally allowed to opt out their students until the district changed its policy in March.
With the help of the Becket non-profit law firm, the parents filed a lawsuit against the new policy on the basis that it violated their First Amendment religious rights to freely instruct their children.
On Thursday the court denied the request for an injunction.
““Because the plaintiffs have not established any of their claims is likely to succeed on the merits, the Court need not address the remaining preliminary injunction factors. Nonetheless, because a constitutional violation is not likely or imminent, it follows that the plaintiffs are not likely to suffer imminent irreparable harm,” the ruling read in part.
The ruling means that schools will be able to include teaching on gay pride parades, gender transition, and pronoun preference without informing parents and without parents’ ability to exclude their children from the extreme curriculum.
The ruling continued:
The plaintiffs seek the same relief pending appeal as in their preliminary injunction motion: an injunction that requires the Board to provide advance notice and opt-outs from instruction involving the storybooks and family life and human sexuality. For the reasons stated in this opinion, the Court cannot conclude the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of an appeal. The plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction pending appeal is denied.
Attorney Eric Baxter, who is representing the parents, says they plan to appeal.
“Today, the district court decided parents have no right to notice when extreme ideology is pushed on their elementary-age children during story hour,” Baxter wrote on social media.
“With the new school year beginning, the case is on the fast track to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals — and the parents plan to appeal the decision,” he added.
Baxter said the extreme LGBTQ teaching includes instruction about the terms “intersex,” “drag queens,” and “non-binary” from pre-K through eighth grade.
“The school board should let kids be kids and let parents parent. Children are entitled to enjoy a period of innocence and be guided by their own parents on how and when to approach the complex and sensitive issues being pushed by the school board,” concluded Baxter.
Here’s more about the LGBTQ battle in Maryland:
Parents clash over LGBTQ+ lessons in Montgomery County | NBC4 Washingtonwww.youtube.com
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