As reported by K-12 Dive, on June 27, 2025, in a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) ruled that schools must allow parents to opt their children out of curriculum based on religious objections in some scenarios. The decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor signifies a win for parents in Maryland’s largest school district and could impact school policies nationwide, as the court weighed in on LGBTQ+ curriculum policies that have contributed to a polarization. The Court’s majority wrote that few religious acts are as important to people of faith as the religious education of their children.

The U.S. Department of Education, which has promoted the exclusion of what it calls “gender ideology” from schools, celebrated the ruling as U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon called the decision a ”major win for religious liberty and parental rights” and that schools, as a result, “can’t shut parents out or disregard their religious obligations to their children.” 

However, the National Education Association (NEA) said the decision could result in self-censorship of educators and the removal of LGBTQ+ books from shelves and curriculum.

For more from K-12 Dive click here.