WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which decided that parents with religious objections can opt their children out of public school instruction that references same-sex marriage and gender identity:
“The Supreme Court’s decision today will put an additional burden on our schools and teachers at a time when they are already underfunded and strained to the breaking point.
“This decision will be weaponized by the loudest voices in school districts across the country, forcing schools to appease them at the risk of silencing all other voices. Respecting one family’s religious liberty should not mean denying another family the freedom to learn.
“The world around us will not simply disappear because we ban schools from teaching how it works. This decision tells Americans that certain families and certain kids don’t deserve the same respect as others. Instead of supporting those who most need it, the Court’s opinion pushes them further away. I will keep fighting for all Delawareans’ access to an education that prepares them to thrive.”