The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 27, 2025, that Montgomery County, Maryland, parents seeking religious accommodations are entitled to opt their elementary-aged children out of lessons that use certain LGBTQ-themed storybooks—an interim win in a case brought by families including Chris and Melissa Persak. The decision, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, overturned lower courts and directed that a preliminary injunction issue while litigation proceeds.
The dispute began after Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) approved LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks in late 2022 and, in March 2023, ended a practice of notifying families and excusing children from those readings upon request. Parents said the change left them without a meaningful religious accommodation. The school system said widespread opt-outs were unworkable and could stigmatize students. (washingtonpost.com)
A coalition of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish parents—among them the Persaks and the Romans—sued the district and its leadership in 2023. The case reached the Supreme Court under the caption Mahmoud v. Taylor after the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit declined to grant a preliminary injunction restoring opt-outs. The families are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. (reuters.com)
The Supreme Court granted review on January 17, 2025, heard arguments on April 22, 2025, and on June 27, 2025, ruled 6-3 that denying religious opt-outs burdens parents’ free exercise rights, requiring a preliminary injunction in the parents’ favor. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority; Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. (reuters.com)
At the time of the Supreme Court proceedings, the district was led by Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor, who began his tenure on July 1, 2024. Earlier stages of the litigation proceeded under his predecessor. (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)
In interviews highlighted by the Daily Wire, the Persaks described relying on their Catholic faith throughout the two-year legal fight and recounted their experience at the Court. Chris Persak said the day of the ruling felt like “vindication,” and both families emphasized that their goal was a clear opt-out for elementary-age students. These perspectives were also discussed on Becket’s Stream of Conscience podcast. (Statements per the Daily Wire’s reporting.) (dailywire.com)
Becket attorney Will Haun framed the decision as arriving roughly a century after the Supreme Court’s 1925 recognition of parental rights to choose religious schooling, underscoring that parents retain meaningful rights when their children attend public schools. (As characterized in the Daily Wire interview.) (dailywire.com)
Following the ruling, MCPS launched a “refrigerator curriculum” system—one-page, marking-period overviews intended for families to post at home—with links to core texts and a process to request alternative assignments when a text conflicts with sincerely held religious views. The district has since posted quarter-by-quarter guides and hosted community previews of materials. (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)
What comes next: The Supreme Court’s decision concerned preliminary relief and sent the case back to the lower courts for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. But the ruling established that, on the present record, parents are entitled to religious opt-outs for the contested readings while the case continues, and similar policies elsewhere may face heightened scrutiny. (apnews.com)
