This got some headlines yesterday: a group of Somali Muslim families in Saint Louis Park pushed back against the school board, with the aid of a couple of conservative public interest law firms, and forced the district to allow their children to opt out of LGBTQ content in school.
I’ve added emphasis:
This change comes after two public interest law firms, True North Legal and First Liberty Institute, sent letters to the school district saying the district’s previous denials of opt-out requests violated the First Amendment and state law.
In 2023, six Muslim families requested that St. Louis Park public schools provide notice before LGBTQ-affirming books were discussed in class. These families, who emigrated from Somalia over the last two decades, also requested the ability to opt out their children from participating in the curriculum.
According to previous press statements from the two law firms, third- and fourth-grade children who were members of the six families were exposed to LBGTQ content in October 2023. These LGBTQ-centric readings were also allegedly accompanied with the teacher’s commentary on LGBTQ identity. This situation caused “significant confusion and distress” amongst the six families.
The school district was reportedly, uh, not cooperative. Contrary to some social media palaver, this affects parents of all faiths at SLPS.
The system, naturally, is not amused:
It’ll be interesting to watch the bureaucrats response.