Overview

• The court’s 6-3 decision requires schools to notify religious parents before using LGBTQ-themed storybooks and grants a constitutional right to withdraw their children from such lessons.
• Long Island districts anticipate broader parental choice under the ruling and expect an uptick in withdrawal requests despite historically rare exemptions.
• Minnesota districts say they already comply with a decades-old state law that mandates a review process and reasonable alternative lessons for materials parents find objectionable.
• The New York City Department of Education has pledged no immediate policy changes, reaffirmed its support for LGBTQ inclusion and prepared to manage potential withdrawal requests.
• In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that schools may preemptively remove diverse content to avoid litigation, a concern echoed by LGBTQ advocates nationwide.