Overview

• This summer the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that religious parents can opt their public-school children out of reading books with LGBTQ+ themes.
• Since 2022, eleven states have enacted statutes restricting classroom discussions of LGBTQ+ people or issues, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
• Free-speech group PEN America documented over 10,000 books removed from public schools in 2023–24, with most bans targeting titles on race, sexuality and gender identity.
• Advocates link the opt-out ruling to a century-long parental-rights movement that began with the 1925 Scopes Trial and now includes book bans, CRT disputes and expanded voucher programs.
• Legal fights over diversity, equity and inclusion policies and proposals for religious charter schools illustrate the broader political pressures reshaping public education.