Maryland’s largest county spent more than $1 million to defend its so-called “inclusive” gender and sexuality curriculum, which requires children to read LGBTQ storybooks. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) lawyers made oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court yesterday against an interfaith coalition of parents who say they should be able to opt their children out of lessons with themes that they view as inappropriate. MCPS’s most recent legal-fees report goes only through January 2025, and the district has surely spent much more since then for legal representation from WilmerHale, the firm that defended district policies at SCOTUS.

MCPS families aren’t asking the district to revise the curriculum or remove the books from classrooms. They simply want the right to opt out.

MCPS has a huge operating budget of over $3 billion, so legal fees totaling $1.2 million may seem like a drop in the bucket. But, as the board always reminds residents when it’s time to make budget cuts, every dollar matters. MCPS is spending taxpayer money on preventable legal fees — ones that would vanish if the district restored parents’ rights to opt their children out of inappropriate curriculum.