# Just In: Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Parents’ Rights in Education 

We need full education choice, so all families can select education truly consistent with what they need and think is most important

June 27, 2025 • News Releases 

Friday, the Supreme Court ruled on *Mahmoud v. Taylor.* This case is about the right of parents to opt their kids out of readings in school that violate their religious convictions. [Neal McCluskey](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey), the director of Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom, offered the following statement in response to the ruling:

> “The Supreme Court has ruled for parents. That’s good: Government mustn’t be able to impose worldviews at odds with people’s religion. But reading opt-outs are a band-aid, not a cure, for the problem of government schooling in a diverse society.
> 
> We need full education choice, so all families can select education truly consistent with what they need and think is most important.”

McCluskey and [Mustafa Akyol](https://www.cato.org/people/mustafa-akyol), a senior fellow, have commented on this topic in the past.

- [Secularism Triumphant: Is the US Education System Turning into the French System?](https://www.cato.org/events/secularism-triumphant-us-education-system-turning-french-system)
- [Maryland Public Schools’ Religious Showdown Highlights Need for More Choice](https://www.cato.org/commentary/maryland-public-schools-religious-showdown-highlights-need-more-choice)
- [Defuse the Culture War with Liberated Education](https://www.cato.org/commentary/defuse-culture-war-liberated-education)

You can read more commentary from McCluskey [here](https://x.com/NealMcCluskey/status/1938613020470472961).

If you’d like to set up an interview on this topic, please reach out to Madison at [mmiller@​cato.​org](mailto:mmiller@cato.org).

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