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Supreme Court takes up Maryland parents’ bid to opt kids out of lessons with LGBTQ books

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Supreme Court takes up Maryland parents’ bid to opt kids out of lessons with LGBTQ books


Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up a dispute over whether a Maryland school district violated parents’ religious rights when it declined to allow them to opt their elementary school children out of instruction involving storybooks about gender and sexuality.

The dispute centers around a decision by the Montgomery County School Board to end opt-out requests and notice requirements for the reading and discussion of storybooks that feature LGBTQ characters. The case sets up another clash involving LGBTQ rights and religious rights. It’s unclear whether the Supreme Court will hear arguments in its current term, which ends this summer, or its next term that will begin in October.

The books were approved for the Montgomery County Public Schools language-arts curriculum for the 2022-2023 school year as part of an effort to include new material that better represents the school district’s students and families, it said. Montgomery County is Maryland’s largest county and its school system serves more than 160,000 students.

Books introduced for students include titles like “Pride Puppy,” a picture book about a dog that gets lost at a Pride parade, and “Jacob’s Room to Choose,” about two transgender school-aged children.

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Lawyers for the school district said in court filings that the books “impart critical reading skills through engaging, age-appropriate stories,” and the district follows a “careful, public, participatory selection process” to ensure they meet that criteria. The books are made available for individual reading, classroom read-alouds and other educational activities, according to the school district.

After the books were introduced, some parents sought to have their children excused when they were read or discussed. Some of these so-called out-out requests were religious-based and others were not, according to court filings. Lawyers for the board said that while teachers and principals attempted to accommodate the requests, the number grew and raised concerns about student absenteeism, the feasibility of administering opt-outs throughout the district and the “risk of exposing students who believe the storybooks represent them and their families to social stigma and isolation.”

The district then announced in March 2023 that it wouldn’t allow opt-outs from language-arts instruction that involved the storybooks “for any reason.”

The decision sparked backlash from the community, and more than 1,000 parents signed a petition urging the board to reinstate their notice and opt-out requests. Hundreds also attended school board meetings and said they had religious obligations not to subject their children to gender and sexuality instruction that conflicted with their religious beliefs.

Following the school district’s announcement, in May 2023, three sets of parents sued the Montgomery County Board of Education, alleging their First Amendment and due process rights were violated. The lead challengers are Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat, who are Muslim and have a son in elementary school. Also challenging the board’s move are Chris and Melissa Persak, who are Roman Catholic and have two elementary-age children, and Jeff and Svitlana Roman, who are Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox and have a son in elementary school.

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They sought a court order that would require notice and opt outs when the books were read or discussed. The parents argued their children’s exposure to the books “necessarily establishes the existence of a burden” on their right to freely exercise their religion.

A federal district court denied the request, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit upheld the decision.

The divided three-judge panel found that there was no evidence at that time that the families were compelled to change their religious beliefs or conduct, or what they taught their children.

The parents then appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the 4th Circuit’s decision effectively requires parents to “surrender their right to direct the religious upbringing of their children by sending them to public schools.”

“Under the Fourth Circuit’s reasoning, parents cannot be heard until after the damage has been done to their children. But there is no unringing that bell — by then, innocence will be lost and beliefs undermined,” they wrote in a filing.

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But the school board urged the Supreme Court to turn away the case.

They said the parents “seek to unsettle a decades-old consensus that parents who choose to send their children to public school are not deprived of their right to freely exercise their religion simply because their children are exposed to curricular materials the parents find offensive.”

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Maryland House passes bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults

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Maryland House passes bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults


Maryland lawmakers have approved a bill that would end the automatic charging of certain juveniles as adults and is now on its way to the governor’s office for review.

The Youth Charging Reform Act passed the House of Delegates on Monday after clearing the Senate last week. The bill aims to end the automatic charging of 16- and 17-year-olds as adults for certain drug, assault, and gun offenses.

ALSO READ | Bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults inches closer to passage

The bill drew significant opposition from several top prosecutors in Maryland, including Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy, and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

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For months, they’ve warned that the change could weaken accountability and pose public safety risks.

“DJS is not equipped to deal with these increased violent offenders, and the legislature should defer the implementation of this bill until the programs are in place,” McCarthy said.

Maryland sheriffs also joined the pushback, including Carroll County Sheriff Jim Dewees, who previously said, “This is not a smart move, by any means, I don’t like it because, and I think by and large, law enforcement doesn’t like it, because we don’t have a whole lot of trust in the juvenile court system and the DJS system.”

ALSO READ | FOX45 sends video of prosecutors’ concerns to lawmakers backing juvenile justice bill

Supporters of the bill argued that most cases end up in the juvenile system regardless, and therefore, it makes sense to start them in the Department of Juvenile Services.

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“They’re already ingesting that work anyway; they’re already doing that workload anyway,” Sen. Will Smith, lead sponsor of the legislation, previously told FOX45 News. “We’re just wasting time and money by sending them to the adult system first.”

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The bill now awaits at Gov. Wes Moore’s desk for a final decision.



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B-W Parkway to close for bridge replacement

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B-W Parkway to close for bridge replacement


WBAL

Maryland Route 295

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Baltimore-Washington Parkway, exit ramps to close in Jessup for bridge replacement

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Updated: 10:31 AM EDT Apr 6, 2026

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A portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway will close for two weekends in Jessup, where a bridge will be demolished.Check our LIVE traffic map and cameras in the WBAL-TV 11 News appThe Maryland State Highway Administration said Maryland Route 295 ramps will close, weather permitting, at Maryland Route 175 for an interchange reconstruction project.Southbound MD 295 will close between Maryland Routes 100 and 32 starting at 10 p.m. on April 10 until 5 a.m. on April 13 with the following lane and ramp closures.Both ramps from MD 100 onto southbound MD 295.Both ramps from Arundel Mills Boulevard onto southbound MD 295.Southbound MD 295 ramp to eastbound and westbound MD 175.Westbound MD 175 ramp to southbound MD 295.Northbound MD 295 will close between Maryland Routes 32 and 100 starting at 10 p.m. on April 17 until 5 a.m. on April 20 with the following ramp closures.Both ramps from MD 32 onto northbound MD 295.Eastbound MD 175 ramp to northbound MD 295.Northbound MD 295 ramp to eastbound and westbound MD 175.The mainline MD 175 lanes on the new bridge will remain open to traffic. The SHA said signs will be posted for detours to include MD 100, Interstate 95 and MD 32. Those going to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are advised to use alternate north-south routes such as I-95, U.S. Route 1 or I-97 to reach I-195.The overall interchange reconstruction project completion is scheduled for Fall 2027, schedule and weather permitting.

A portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway will close for two weekends in Jessup, where a bridge will be demolished.

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The Maryland State Highway Administration said Maryland Route 295 ramps will close, weather permitting, at Maryland Route 175 for an interchange reconstruction project.

Southbound MD 295 will close between Maryland Routes 100 and 32 starting at 10 p.m. on April 10 until 5 a.m. on April 13 with the following lane and ramp closures.

  • Both ramps from MD 100 onto southbound MD 295.
  • Both ramps from Arundel Mills Boulevard onto southbound MD 295.
  • Southbound MD 295 ramp to eastbound and westbound MD 175.
  • Westbound MD 175 ramp to southbound MD 295.

Northbound MD 295 will close between Maryland Routes 32 and 100 starting at 10 p.m. on April 17 until 5 a.m. on April 20 with the following ramp closures.

  • Both ramps from MD 32 onto northbound MD 295.
  • Eastbound MD 175 ramp to northbound MD 295.
  • Northbound MD 295 ramp to eastbound and westbound MD 175.

The mainline MD 175 lanes on the new bridge will remain open to traffic.

The SHA said signs will be posted for detours to include MD 100, Interstate 95 and MD 32.

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Those going to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are advised to use alternate north-south routes such as I-95, U.S. Route 1 or I-97 to reach I-195.

The overall interchange reconstruction project completion is scheduled for Fall 2027, schedule and weather permitting.

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Maryland man dead after being struck in Fairfax County – WTOP News

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Maryland man dead after being struck in Fairfax County – WTOP News


A Maryland man is dead after being struck by a pickup truck in Fairfax County, Virginia, late Friday night.

A Maryland man is dead after being struck by a pickup truck in Fairfax County, Virginia, late Friday night.

Police said the crash happened around 10:20 p.m. at the intersection of Richmond Highway and Pohick Road near Woodlawn.

According to investigators, the driver of a Toyota Tacoma was heading northbound on Richmond Highway when the pedestrian, Anthony Williams, 67, was crossing at the intersection. He was hit in the roadway.

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Williams was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died.

The driver was not hurt and remained at the scene.

Police said speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors.

Anyone with information regarding this accident is asked by Fairfax County police to call their crash reconstruction unit at 703-280-0543 or can submit an anonymous tip at 1-866-411-8477. Those who submit an anonymous tip are eligible for cash rewards.

Below is a map of the location where the crash took place:

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(Courtesy Google Maps)

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