Time to Opt Your Kids Out of LGBTQ Lessons: Supreme Court Says It’s Your Right

With nearly 6 million California public school students returning this month, parents now have a Supreme Court–backed right to opt their children out of lessons on LGBTQ+ gender ideology and sexual orientation, something state law had previously forbidden, allowing opt-outs only for sexual health education. In response, California Family Council (CFC) and Informed Parents of California (IPCA) have teamed up to provide a ready-to-use, legally supported Opt-Out Notice from the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), giving families a fast, effective way to protect their children’s education and exercise their newly affirmed rights.

On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Mahmoud v. Taylor that when parents assert a sincerely held religious or moral belief that conflicts with certain school lessons, the First Amendment requires schools to give reasonable notice and the opportunity to opt their children out. For the first time in over fifty years, the Court has explicitly affirmed that these rights follow children into the classroom.

“This is our Red Sea moment,” said Jonathan Keller, President of CFC. “God just parted the legal waters. Now it’s up to parents to walk through and protect their children from being force-fed ideology that contradicts their faith.”

The path to protection is simple and fast: less than two minutes.  Click on www.ip-ca.org, click on the green OPT OUT button, and follow the instructions.

“Informed Parents is partnering with California Family Council to strengthen families and protect the next generation of America’s leaders,” said Larry Pegram, president of IPCA. “We take the battle to where it is best fought, in school district board rooms where curricula, textbooks, and library book decisions are decided.”

What Parents Can Now Opt Out Of

Under the Court’s decision, and California’s existing Education Code, parents can formally remove their children from:

• Lessons and activities teaching that gender identity is fluid or that children can change their biological sex.
• Curriculum portraying LGBTQ+ behavior as “normative” or morally equivalent to heterosexual marriage.
• “Inclusive” books that contradict a family’s deeply held beliefs about sexuality, marriage, or gender.
• Health instruction that is inconsistent with parents’ religious convictions.
• Anonymous, voluntary, and confidential tests or questionnaires that ask about a child’s health behaviors and risks, or items related to a child’s or their parents’ personal beliefs or practices in sex, family life, morality, or religion.

This includes not only health class lessons, but also storybooks, literature selections, and “social-emotional learning” materials that smuggle in sexual and gender ideology, especially in elementary grades.

The Legally Backed Opt-Out Notice

Pacific Justice Institute’s Opt-Out form, delivered through Informed Parents of California’s secure system, warns school districts they are legally obligated to respect a parent’s instructions regarding their child’s exposure to objectionable content. Parents simply fill out the online form, which is automatically sent to both the principal and the district superintendent, with a copy emailed to the parent.

If a district ignores the notice, PJI may assist families in ensuring compliance with both state law and the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“Parents are the God-given stewards of their children’s hearts and minds,” Keller continued. “This tool puts schools on notice that they must respect those rights or be ready to defend themselves in court.”

Why It Matters in California

California’s public schools have become a national leader in promoting gender theory and sexual diversity lessons beginning in kindergarten. Examples reported in recent years include:

• First-grade textbooks praise politicians solely for their LGBTQ activism.
• Lessons featuring drag queens as models of “honesty” and “courage.”
• Read-alouds that instruct children that doctors “guess” at a baby’s sex.
• Two Families Sue School After Sons Forced to Teach Gender Ideology to Kindergartners
• Charter School Tells Parents They Can’t Opt Kindergartners Out of Transgenderism Lessons

Too often, parents who raise concerns are ignored—or even shamed as bigots.

In an ironic twist, the Mahmoud v. Taylor case wasn’t born in California, but in Maryland, where Muslim, Jewish, and Christian parents united against the removal of opt-out rights. The Court’s ruling now sweeps across all 50 states, meaning California parents benefit from a legal battle fought over 3,000 miles away.

Act Now Before the First Day of School

CFC is urging every Christian and religiously committed parent in California to act immediately, preferably before the first day of the new school year. Once classes begin, children can be exposed to objectionable material without warning. A completed Opt-Out Notice should be on file at your child’s school before instruction begins to guarantee legal protection. Delaying even a few days could mean your child is confronted with lessons or books that directly contradict your family’s beliefs.

“This is not something to put off until September,” said Greg Burt, CFC Vice President. “If you want to guard your child’s heart and mind, the time to act is right now.”

Call to Action

1. Today, visit www.ip-ca.org to fill out and submit the PJI-backed Opt-Out Notice.
2. Share this information with friends, pastors, and parent groups—especially those with children in public schools.
3. Remember: Opt-Out notices must be submitted each school year.

“We’ve been warning for years that whatever happens in California doesn’t stay in California,” Burt said. “But this time, a national victory has come home to bless our state. Parents, don’t waste it.”