Kirkwood, Missouri - Following a demand letter from Thomas More Society, Kirkwood School District (KSD) has begun removing an “LGBTQ+ History Month” video from student devices upon request by their parents and claims it will comply with its obligations to religious parents under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Mahmoud v. Taylor decision going forward.  

Thomas More Society sent KSD a threat-to-sue letter on behalf of the parent group, Kirkwood for Educational Integrity, after one of the district’s middle schools conscripted students to narrate a video celebrating “LGBTQ+ History Month” and broadcast the video to the whole school. KSD did so without giving parents advance notice and an opportunity to opt out, directly violating the Supreme Court’s landmark June 2025 decision in Mahmoud, which held that a public school’s reading of biased “LGBTQ+ storybooks” to children without advance notice and opt-out opportunities for religious parents violated the First Amendment.  

KSD stated its Board of Education has reviewed Thomas More Society’s letter and intends to come into “full compliance with [Mahmoud],” and “will respond to requests for religious accommodations” from any content “by District students and parents promptly upon receipt.” KSD also stated it will update the notice it provides parents regarding the “Sora” electronic application, through which KSD gives students access to explicit and obscene materials on school devices without notifying parents.  

“Kirkwood’s capitulation is a great victory for parental rights and religious freedom,” said Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Michael McHale. “No longer can public schools shun and ignore parents’ religious objections to LGBTQ+ promotional content, and KSD now knows it. All parents have a right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, and we appreciate KSD’s long-overdue willingness to acknowledge thoserights and its initial steps to allow opt-outs from content that violates parents’ religious beliefs.”  

However, Thomas More Society issued a follow-up letter clarifying KSD’s obligation to provide advance notice and opt-out opportunities from materials it already has reason to know would likely interfere with parents’ religious beliefs. Thomas More Society also notified KSD that it will closely monitor the updated notice language produced for the “Sora” app. And Thomas More Society explained it still intends to file legal action seeking all necessary relief, including an emergency injunction and attorney fees, should KSD’s actions fall short of the First Amendment.  

“It’s obviously good that KSD now intends to comply with Mahmoud,” said Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Mary Catherine Martin. “But Mahmoud requires advance notice to all parents for any instruction ormaterials likely to conflict with families’ religious beliefs. That includes many subjects and materials that the district has been routinely offering students over the past decade. Our demand letter pointed out only one extremely brazen violation. Given KSD’s history of deflecting and stonewalling parents, we’ll believe their new ‘commitments’ when our clients see action. KSD’s active removal of the LGBTQ+ video from objecting students’ devices in recent weeks is a positive start.”  

Thomas More Society is already litigating Kirkwood’s refusal to provide parents with public records relating to a number of violations of laws and policies in Rawlins v. Ulrich:  

“Our ongoing lawsuit against KSD tells a years-long story of District leaders treating parents like enemies while openly violating and ignoring laws and policies,” said Martin, who is lead counsel in Rawlins v. Ulrich.“Thomas More Society is determined to help parents’ voices be heard in their children’s education, especially if KSD continues to ignore all concerns that do not come in the form of a potential lawsuit. However, it would be best for all if KSD began treating parents as what they are: the primary educators of their children, and valuable team-members and collaborators with their children’s schools.”