Secretary of Education Linda McMahon released a video highlighting the huge win given to parents by the Supreme Court when they ruled in favor of the parents of children attending the Montgomery County school system, in the landmark case of Mahmoud v. Taylor.
Parents sued Montgomery County School Board Superintendent Thomas Taylor for introducing illustrated LGBT books into the children's curriculum without notifying parents. The school decided it didn't need to ask permission, resulting in the lawsuit that went all the way up to the highest court in the land, where it backed the parents and upheld their First Amendment right to freedom of religion.
Now the school must notify the parents before introducing these things, and parents have the option to opt their child out of the lesson.
McMahon said this "is not only a win for religious liberty, but parental rights."
"The court rightfully held that schools cannot shut parents out, or disregard their religious obligations to their children," she added. "We are proud to see families — not bureaucrats — reclaiming their role in raising their children according to their sincerely held religious beliefs."
Secretary of Education, @EDSecMcMahon, on the HUGE SCOTUS ruling requiring parental notification and opt-out option for LGBTQ+ books in schools:
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 27, 2025
"We are proud to see families, not bureaucrats, reclaiming their role in raising their children according to their sincerely held… pic.twitter.com/BZKIxXN7CU
READ MORE: Supreme Court Upholds Right of Parents to Opt Their Kids Out of LGBTQ-Themed Classroom Activities
This is all well and good as it sets a precedent to go by when this issue arises in a different time and place, but that is, in itself, the issue. It can arise again somewhere, and the religious freedom of parents should never be questioned. Yet it's going to be. Activists posing as educators will attempt to indoctrinate your child, and will do so with the help of the law until a higher law stops them.
Moreover, it should be pointed out that Mahmoud v. Taylor was a 6-3 decision that was divided along ideological lines. That we'll have a Supreme Court that isn't ideologically tilted to the left is not guaranteed for the future, so what was decided today effectively needs to be codified into law.
Parental Oversight and Educational Transparency Act (H.R. 1416) is important for just this very reason.
The bill was introduced in February by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and is currently pending in the House. It's been referred to committee but hasn't really gone further since. The bill mirrors state-level laws like Texas S.B. 12, which puts roadblocks up for schools that want to teach DEI-centric material or things like "gender ideology."
H.R. 1416 requires schools to give parents detailed notice about instructional activities, whether it's books, videos, or guest speakers, with absolute specificity well before these things can take place, so parents have ample time to learn about it and opt their kid out if they so choose. This is great, as it hands parents far more control over their child's education.
In a sane world, there would be no argument about this, but sadly, we don't live in one. Too many school districts and even teachers with personal socio-political itches to scratch believe that your child is their sculpting clay and that their authority outweighs the parents when it comes to education. They are wrong about this.
But this is why H.R. 1416 is necessary.
I think too many public school educators and staff forgot that public schools are public institutions, not sovereign kingdoms where students — and even parents to a degree — are their subjects to be ruled over. They exist because my tax dollars pay for it, and anything that only survives as a result of my benefaction is subject to my whim. This applies to both my child and the school system he attends.
So when a group of parents shows up and demand that a school not only give notification about what they're teaching their children, but that their child doesn't need to learn that lesson they're trying to teach them, it's not the school's place to say no. The school is out of line, and if it won't get back in it by itself, then it will be forced to do so one way or another.
There will be school districts that resist this idea, and that's why H.R. 1416 is necessary. It doesn't take a high court ruling to stop the school; it's already the law.
Until this is made law, we'll keep seeing these issues pop up.
