Should parents opt kids out of class over religious objections? What poll finds
Most Americans — including majorities across all religious groups — said they think parents should be allowed to take their children out of classes that conflict with their religious beliefs, a poll found.
Seventy percent of respondents said parents should be able to opt their kids out of reading classes that have stories about LGBTQ+ characters if it goes against their religion, according to a May 22 Marquette Law School poll.
Parents with school age children were slightly more likely to favor the option to take their kids out than those without children, 72% to 69%, respectively, per the poll.
The results come after U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments April 22 in a case on whether public schools impede on religious practices by teaching elementary school students about issues of gender and sexuality without first notifying parents.
The court seemed poised to rule in favor of Maryland parents of different religious backgrounds that hope to have more control over if and how their children are taught about these issues that some said conflict with their religious beliefs, NBC News and Reuters reported.
The survey of 1,004 U.S. adults was conducted May 5-15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, researchers said.
Majorities across five religious groups — born-again Protestants, mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, people with no religion and people of other religions — said parents should be able to take their kids out of school if teaching materials clash with their religious beliefs, the poll found.
Born-again Protestants and Roman Catholics had the highest majorities, 87% and 72%, who agreed according to the poll.
Forty-two percent of people with no religion, 34% of mainline Protestants and 33% of people of other religions said schools should set the curriculum for all students, rather than letting parents opt their kids out of certain lessons, the poll found.
Those who attend religious services more than once a week also showed much higher support for taking their kids out of class when it conflicts with their religion than those who never attend, 91% compared to 61%, per the poll.
