April 21, 2025 12:27PM # School Reading Opt-Outs Are Minimal Protection By [Neal McCluskey](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey) --- SHARE Listen to this article Generated with [ ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/) AI technology. Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech) AudioNative Player... On April 22, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in [*Mahmoud v. Taylor*](https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docket/docketfiles/html/public%5C24-297.html). The case pits parents in Montgomery County, MD, who wanted to opt their children out of class readings at odds with their religious convictions, against a district that mandated the children participate to foster tolerance of diverse lifestyles. As I explain in this [new *Reason* piece](https://reason.com/2025/04/19/the-supreme-court-is-about-to-hear-2-education-cases-neither-goes-far-enough/), an opt-out is the bare minimum deference to families. I and Mustafa Akyol delved more deeply into this case in [other writing](https://www.cato.org/commentary/defuse-culture-war-liberated-education) and [an event](https://www.cato.org/events/secularism-triumphant-us-education-system-turning-french-system) in 2023. As I also tackle in the *Reason* piece, next Wednesday the Court will hear the case of the [St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School](https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-396.html), which deals with whether charter schools—technically public schools but chosen by parents—can be religious. As I discuss at *Reason* and have [tackled](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/3309630/supreme-court-could-recognize-public-schooling-unconstitutional/#google_vignette) [previously](https://www.cato.org/blog/say-no-religious-charter-schools), the religious equality case for St. Isidore is compelling, but there is too much government entanglement to ultimately support religious chartering. That is especially the case when there is a better solution right in front of us: Money following students to whatever educational options, including private, families choose. Simple school choice. ##### Related Tags [Constitution and Law](https://www.cato.org/constitution-law), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Politics and Society](https://www.cato.org/politics-society), [Education](https://www.cato.org/education), [Center for Educational Freedom](https://www.cato.org/center-educational-freedom), [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Supreme Court](https://www.cato.org/supreme-court) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).