Montgomery County’s mandate that students read books with LGBTQ characters forces religious families either to forfeit their beliefs or depart the public school system, lawyers for Muslim and Christian families suing the district said during oral arguments Wednesday at the U.S. District Court for Maryland in Greenbelt. They are asking Judge Deborah Boardman to grant their children permission to opt out of reading those books now, before the school year begins, while a lawsuit over a permanent exemption proceeds.
Maryland
Maryland families say LGBTQ school readings violate religious beliefs
The books are a part of a supplemental English Language Arts curriculum the school system introduced this year. Teachers can pick which titles to read in the classroom. Books were suggested at every grade level, but the lawsuit focuses on those for elementary-schoolers. These include “Love, Violet,” a story about a girl who develops a crush on her classmate and contemplates how to create a card for her for Valentine’s Day, and “My Rainbow,” the tale of a mom who makes a colorful wig for her transgender daughter.
The parents filed the lawsuit in May, alleging that the school system — which is Maryland’s largest with about 160,000 students — was infringing on their religious rights guaranteed under the First Amendment when it canceled an earlier policy allowing families to opt out. In court Wednesday, their attorney, Eric Baxter, said classroom discussions that spur on questions about sexuality and gender identity violate their religious beliefs.
Several demonstrators were outside the courthouse Wednesday in support of the lawsuit. They held up signs that said, “Let parents parent,” and called for the school system to put an opt-out back in place.
Montgomery schools’ attorneys rebutted that the supplemental curriculum encroached on anyone’s religious freedoms.
Alan Schoenfeld, an attorney representing Montgomery County schools, said that “exposure to these ideas doesn’t violate the Constitution.” The plaintiffs cited no evidence that teachers were instructed to tell a student what to believe from the books, Schoenfeld said. He added that the earlier opt-outs were granted for any reason — whether political, religious or other — and as such, revoking them did not discriminate specifically against religious families. It applies to everyone equally, he said.
The central question of the case is whether the school district targets religious worship or is neutral toward it, said David Callaway, a religious freedom specialist at Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that studies the First Amendment.
He pointed to two previous First Amendment rulings that require the government to remain neutral toward religion. In the first, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court decided in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. In the second, Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, the court ruled that a Florida city’s ban on animal sacrifice breached the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion.
On Wednesday, Boardman seemed skeptical of the argument that a supplemental curriculum could restrict parents’ ability to pass down their faith. “If you’re a parent … you can still espouse your religious views,” she said.
Baxter argued that the school system is attempting to impose a specific viewpoint on young students that conflicts with the parents’ sincerely held religious beliefs. Since the audience for these books are so impressionable, parents have a difficult time staving off the controversial views in the books, he said.
By law, schools in Maryland are already required to provide an opt-out for lessons in health class on family life and human sexuality, he said, and these books touch on the same topics of sexuality and gender identity. “There is no question these students are being taught this material in health class,” he said, adding that it was conflicting for students to be able to opt out of these discussions only in one subject area.
Schoenfeld replied that the health education framework and the new English Language Arts curriculum are distinct.
Boardman said she would make a decision on a temporary opt-out before the school year starts Aug. 28.
Michigan State won a big time road game over Maryland, improving their record to 2-0, and giving head coach Jonathan Smith his first Big Ten conference victory as the head man of the Spartans.
A big part of that win was the connection between Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh, and more specifically their 77-yard touchdown connection tying the game 24-24 late in the fourth quarter.
Chiles and Marsh spoke to the media after the team’s win, which you can watch via Spartan Mag on YouTube:
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
A 16-year-old student at a high school in Maryland has been detained after he allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old student in one of the school’s bathrooms.
The name of the suspect has yet to be released. The victim, Warren Curtis Grant, died following the shooting at Joppatowne High School. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler made the announcement at a press briefing.
The suspect fled the scene but was detained close by just minutes later.
“He has yet to be charged but will be charged, and at the time those charges are preferred as an adult, we will release the name of the suspect,” Gahler told the press, according to The Guardian.
The sheriff added that his office has handled more than 10 cases in the last two years “where the suspect was either the victim, witness or the suspect in an incident handled by the Harford county sheriff’s office.”
While the sheriff’s office told the public to avoid the area after the shooting, it said that it was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.”
An “active shooter” situation refers to when a suspect is firing against everyone they see rather than targeting a particular person.
An area church was used as a reunification center for students and their parents. The school is located about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.
Gahler noted that more than 100 law enforcement officials responded to the scene.
The fight at Joppatowne High School took place just two days after the shooting at a high school outside Atlanta, Georgia where a 14-year-old shot and killed four people.
Michigan State got the job done in its season opener, but it wasn’t pretty as it hung on at home against Florida Atlantic. Now, it has to head on the road to open Big Ten play in what promises to be a tougher test.
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Michigan State is 1-0, but the road gets tougher now. The Spartans go on the road and start Big Ten play early in Week 2 with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins have a new look this year without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa but looked strong in their season-opener against Howard last week.
· Who: Michigan State at Maryland
· When: 3:30 p.m.
· Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, Maryland
· Twitter: Follow Matt Wenzel
· Live updates: Beginning at 2:30 p.m. at mlive.com/spartans
· Latest line: Maryland -9.5
TV Network: Big Ten Network
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Five must-reads before kickoff:
* Michigan State lost two members of its secondary, Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, to long-term injuries in its season opener. The team is turning to some new faces to fill in the holes from those injuries.
* Alex VanSumeren was once Michigan State’s top-rated recruit, but he’s been seldom seen on the field due to injuries. Now, though, he’s healthy and making his mark on the Spartans’ defensive line.
* Aidan Chiles’ 10-completion, two-interception performance in Michigan State’s season-opener was his “floor,” according to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who has a plan to improve the quarterback’s performance going forward.
* Jonathan Smith had a name for Week 1 in college football: overreaction Saturday. He’s cautioning fans not to put too much stock into an opening performance that likely underwhelmed many.
* The run game and discipline are two of Matt Wenzel’s five things to watch in this week’s matchup.
Michigan State
* Passing: Aidan Chiles 10-14, 114 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
* Rushing: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams 9 rush, 101 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Michael Masunas 2 rec., 29 yards, 0 TD
* Tackles: Angelo Grose 12
* Sacks: Khris Bogle 1.5
* Interceptions: Grose, Nikai Martinez 1
Maryland
* Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. 20-27, 311 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
* Rushing: Roman Hemby 14 rush, 66 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Tai Felton 7 rec., 178 yards, 2 TD
* Tackles: Glendon Miller 6
* Sacks: None
* Interceptions: Ruben Hyppolite II, Miller 1
Friday, Sept. 6
Western Illinois at Indiana
Duke at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 7
Texas at Michigan, noon (FOX)
Rhode Island at Minnesota, noon (Peacock)
Bowling Green at Penn State, noon (BTN)
Akron at Rutgers, noon (BTN)
Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
Eastern Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Western Michigan at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. (Peacock)
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