What would Jesus be allowed to teach?

SCOTUS's decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor will prevent kids from learning about the world around them.

Photo by José Luis Rodríguez Martínez on Unsplash

It's finally in: the decision that anyone paying attention knew was coming. Parents now have the right to opt out a child from public school lessons because of their religious beliefs. Although Mahmoud v Taylor is specifically about homophobic bigotry parents rights to opt their children out of lessons that involve LGBTQ+ storybook characters in elementary schools, it will give parents the leverage they need to begin systematically picking apart the public school curriculum. From the ACLU:

For the first time now, parents with religious objections are empowered to pick and choose from a secular public school curriculum, interfering with the school district’s legitimate educational purposes and its ability to operate schools without disruption – ironically, in a case where the curriculum is designed to foster civility and understanding across differences.

How? Well, let’s consider the possibilities from three different core learning areas. (Don’t worry, math isn’t one of them.)