Summary of facts: The Montgomery County, Maryland Board of Education’s “Gender Identity Guidelines” give staff and students total control over sensitive decisions about a child’s gender identity and pronouns at the exclusion of parents, even allowing children to “transition” at school without their parents’ knowledge or consent. A group of parents sued, and a federal trial court held that the policy does not violate parents’ constitutional right to raise their children.

RFI position: The school district’s policy violates parents’ right under the Free Exercise Clause to direct their children’s education and their ability to impart their sincere religious beliefs without government interference. The policy substantially burdens the sincerely held religious beliefs of many different faith groups, including Orthodox Jewish Americans, Hindu Americans, and Muslim Americans and will disproportionately impact families from minority faith backgrounds.

Read the amicus brief here.