In a district of more than 156,000 students, just 56 families asked Montgomery County school leaders to excuse their children from reading books that conflict with their religious beliefs.

Montgomery County Public Schools recently finished its first semester since the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a group of parents who sought the right to opt-out of lessons that included LGBTQIA+ storybooks.

During the first four months of school, it was mostly the parents of elementary schoolers that made use of the opt-out, according to documents obtained by The Banner through a public records request. The objections generally centered around books with LGBTQIA+ characters, as well as those that included themes of diversity, an analysis found.

In November, for example, a Laytonsville Elementary parent submitted a form asking for their child to be excused from lessons if they featured texts from about two dozen titles such as “Black Boy Joy,” “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope” and “Two Dads: A Book About Adoption.”

Other books that parents objected to included: “Anne Frank’s Tales from the Secret Annex,” “Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border,” and “The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family.”

The Banner reviewed roughly 80 opt-out forms submitted by families between September and December. The document asks parents to list the materials they want their child shielded from, and to attest that their request stems from a sincerely held religious belief.

Some parents simply stated titles, with lists that mirrored each other across schools. Others provided justification on the form.

The parents of a sixth-grader, for example, asked that their daughter to be exempt from reading “The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Other Greek Stories.” They requested that teachers provide an alternative assignment that would meet the same education standards.

“Our family is Jehovah’s Witnesses, and our beliefs include maintaining a clear distinction between fictional works that incorporate mythological, supernatural, or spiritual themes that conflict with our religious values,” they wrote on the form.

A Gaithersburg High parent, meanwhile, was more general in objection.

“I do not want my child indoctrinated with LGBTQ ideology,” the person wrote in September. “This would mean no instructional time wasted on learning about any aspect of that lifestyle, I do not believe that is the school’s place to be teaching this to children.”

Book battles

The fight over storybooks ignited years ago, and eruptions have shaken schools in states across the country.

Montgomery County — a deep-blue county rich in religious, cultural and racial diversity — became a flashpoint after school officials incorporated new titles into English lessons in 2022.

The books featured an array of characters and historical figures, including some with LGBTQIA+ themes. Stories included a prince falling in love with a knight while battling a dragon and a transgender boy sharing his identity with his family.

School leaders hoped the books would help reflect the district’s diverse population.

A group of Muslim, Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox parents organized and sued the district. Their case eventually reached the Supreme Court.

It argued the parents should be allowed to excuse their children from reading books that conflict with their religious upbringing, particularly when it comes to sensitive issues.

The majority of justices sided with them, writing that the books used in Montgomery County schools “carry with them ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs that the parents wish to instill in their children.”

In the dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said public schools are intended to offer children from all faiths and backgrounds “an opportunity to practice living in our multicultural society.”

“That experience is critical to our Nation’s civic vitality,” she wrote. “Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents’ religious beliefs.”

Changes to MCPS

After the court’s ruling, some people worried that allowing parents to opt-out of specific lessons would translate into an administrative burden that would be difficult for teachers to manage.

With just a few dozen families across the district asking for the accommodation, it’s unclear if those challenges materialized.

That doesn’t mean the court case didn’t lead to change in Maryland’s largest school district.

School leaders rolled out the “Refrigerator Curriculum” this year, providing parents with a one-page overview of what students will be learning each grading period.

“With this resource, parents and guardians can quickly see what’s ahead in the classroom, stay engaged in their child’s education, and request alternative assignments when a text conflicts with sincerely held religious views,” officials wrote.

District spokeswoman Liliana López said schools have hosted curriculum showcases and discussions for both staff and parents.

“We are pleased that many initial challenges have been minimized,” she said in an email. “As with any new procedure, success depends on clear expectations and effective implementation.”

Still, Eric Baxter, who represented MCPS parents in the lawsuit, said families need more information about upcoming books than what the Refrigerator Curriculum provides.

The highlights for the third-quarter of the year show high school English classes will be delving into books that explore themes of social justice, gender roles and oppression. Each one-pager lists several key texts.

High schools fielded the fewest number of opt-out requests during the first semester. Among the most common texts objected to by parents of older students was “All American Boys,” which tells the story of two teenagers grappling with racism and police brutality.

One parent wrote that their family values “are to avoid violence, immorality, drinking and drugs, and strongly offensive language, all of which are present in this book to an extreme degree.”

The student “would like to be allowed to read an alternate book that still explores the issue of institutionalized racism,” the parent wrote, “but in a way consistent with our religious beliefs.”

Rosalind Hanson, head of the Montgomery County chapter of the conservative Moms for Liberty group, said opt-outs demonstrate that parents want “political and religious neutrality” from their public schools.

Hanson hasn’t used the form herself. Still, she said, “I appreciate having the option.”