Massachusetts Parent Can Opt Kindergartner Out of LGBTQ+ Studies

A Massachusetts parent can choose not to have his kindergartner participate in a curriculum containing LGBTQ+ materials, a federal judge ruled.

Lexington Public Schools must provide notice and opt-out opportunities to Alan L., a parent who objects to books featuring LGBTQ+ themes on religious grounds, US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV ruled Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Saylor said the preliminary injunction is warranted under a two-step test from the US Supreme Court’s June ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor. The test requires determining whether a curriculum would “substantially interfere with the religious development ...