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House Education hearing spotlights Mahmood v. Taylor and clash over parental opt‑outs
Summary
Witnesses and lawmakers debated the Supreme Court's Mahmood v. Taylor decision, with advocates saying it restores parents' rights to opt children out of instruction that conflicts with religious beliefs and critics warning the ruling could undermine longstanding limits on curricular regulation and harm inclusivity in schools.
At a Feb. 14 hearing of the House Education and Labor committee, legal advocates, scholars and members of Congress debated the reach of the Supreme Court's decision in Mahmood v. Taylor and whether parents may now opt children out of classroom lessons that conflict with religious beliefs.
The hearing, convened by the committee chair, focused on the Montgomery County, Md., dispute that led to the case and the practical implications for districts nationwide. "Mahmood is the Supreme Court's most significant parental rights case in half a century," said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who represented the plaintiffs in the case.
Why it matters: Supporters said the…
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