Nina Totenberg

A decision in the case is expected by summer. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

At the center of the case is the school system in our own nearby Montgomery County, Maryland. And it's the most religiously diverse county in the United States of America. It has 160,000 students of almost all faiths. And on one side are parents who want to opt their elementary and middle school children out of classes. when those classes include storybooks with LGBTQ characters and themes.

At the center of the case is the school system in our own nearby Montgomery County, Maryland. And it's the most religiously diverse county in the United States of America. It has 160,000 students of almost all faiths. And on one side are parents who want to opt their elementary and middle school children out of classes. when those classes include storybooks with LGBTQ characters and themes.

At the center of the case is the school system in our own nearby Montgomery County, Maryland. And it's the most religiously diverse county in the United States of America. It has 160,000 students of almost all faiths. And on one side are parents who want to opt their elementary and middle school children out of classes. when those classes include storybooks with LGBTQ characters and themes.

And the parents contend that the books expose their children to ideas that contradict their religious values. I talked to Grace Morrison, who's one of the parents who's suing the school system. Her daughter was 10 when the LGBTQ books were introduced in their curriculum. So rather than risk exposure to the unwanted ideas, Morrison is homeschooling her daughter, and here she is.

And the parents contend that the books expose their children to ideas that contradict their religious values. I talked to Grace Morrison, who's one of the parents who's suing the school system. Her daughter was 10 when the LGBTQ books were introduced in their curriculum. So rather than risk exposure to the unwanted ideas, Morrison is homeschooling her daughter, and here she is.

And the parents contend that the books expose their children to ideas that contradict their religious values. I talked to Grace Morrison, who's one of the parents who's suing the school system. Her daughter was 10 when the LGBTQ books were introduced in their curriculum. So rather than risk exposure to the unwanted ideas, Morrison is homeschooling her daughter, and here she is.

And what she really wants to do is to have her kid in the public school and be able to say that when certain material is discussed at all, the kid will be opted out of class and go to a different classroom.

And what she really wants to do is to have her kid in the public school and be able to say that when certain material is discussed at all, the kid will be opted out of class and go to a different classroom.

And what she really wants to do is to have her kid in the public school and be able to say that when certain material is discussed at all, the kid will be opted out of class and go to a different classroom.

Well, the board initially did allow opt-outs, but it says it became just unmanageable. Unlike a sex ed class, for example, where the school system does allow opt-outs, the board says it became a logistical nightmare to take children out of a classroom when a single storybook that features some Same-sex parent or gay and lesbian kids could come up at any time.

Well, the board initially did allow opt-outs, but it says it became just unmanageable. Unlike a sex ed class, for example, where the school system does allow opt-outs, the board says it became a logistical nightmare to take children out of a classroom when a single storybook that features some Same-sex parent or gay and lesbian kids could come up at any time.

Well, the board initially did allow opt-outs, but it says it became just unmanageable. Unlike a sex ed class, for example, where the school system does allow opt-outs, the board says it became a logistical nightmare to take children out of a classroom when a single storybook that features some Same-sex parent or gay and lesbian kids could come up at any time.

And then there's the question of where do you draw the line? Could parents opt their kids out of a science class where Darwin's theory of evolution is being taught or a history class where there's a section on how women got out of the kitchen and into the workforce? These are things that are against some people's religious views. Well, what has the law said up to now before this case?

And then there's the question of where do you draw the line? Could parents opt their kids out of a science class where Darwin's theory of evolution is being taught or a history class where there's a section on how women got out of the kitchen and into the workforce? These are things that are against some people's religious views. Well, what has the law said up to now before this case?

And then there's the question of where do you draw the line? Could parents opt their kids out of a science class where Darwin's theory of evolution is being taught or a history class where there's a section on how women got out of the kitchen and into the workforce? These are things that are against some people's religious views. Well, what has the law said up to now before this case?

Well, I talked to Yale law professor Justin Driver, who's written extensively about the history of public schools, and he says that generally these curriculum decisions are left to local school boards unless there's some effort to coerce students into accepting a religious belief. He defends the way the Montgomery County system has handled this issue.

Well, I talked to Yale law professor Justin Driver, who's written extensively about the history of public schools, and he says that generally these curriculum decisions are left to local school boards unless there's some effort to coerce students into accepting a religious belief. He defends the way the Montgomery County system has handled this issue.

Well, I talked to Yale law professor Justin Driver, who's written extensively about the history of public schools, and he says that generally these curriculum decisions are left to local school boards unless there's some effort to coerce students into accepting a religious belief. He defends the way the Montgomery County system has handled this issue.

Well, answering that question is dangerous. My guess is that a majority of the justices will side with the objectors who want an opt-out, but that's not a certainty. I draw that conclusion mainly because a majority of the court has had little exposure to attending a public school themselves. I don't know where they sent their kids to school, but only three of the justices went to public schools.