The U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a hearing on Feb. 10 examining government overreach into faith and family.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), chairman of the subcommittee, announced the hearing, titled “Defending Faith and Families Against Government Overreach: Mahmoud v. Taylor.”
The 41-year-old representative has also chaired hearings on school choice, antisemitism at American universities and anti-Israel encampments on campus. (JNS sought comment from Kiley.)
Mahmoud v. Taylor is a case arising from a 2022 dispute in Maryland, where parents objected on religious grounds to the use of certain LGBTQ-themed books in public elementary-school classrooms. A coalition of families, including Orthodox Jews, Muslims and Christians, participated in the suit.
The parents sought the ability to opt their children out of instruction involving the materials, arguing that the school district’s refusal violated their First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion and parental control over their children’s education.
While the lower courts initially ruled against the parents, the Supreme Court reversed the Fourth Circuit in June, ruling 6-3 that parents are entitled to excusals or opt-outs for their children.
