Back-to-school season is upon us — and with it brings a mix of excitement and nerves. This year, those feelings are heightened by the current political moment. What is the state of LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools, and how can you navigate it? Explore the updates and resources below.  

This year, the Supreme Court made an important decision affecting schools in Mahmoud v. Taylor. In this decision, the Court ruled that Montgomery Public Schools should have allowed a group of religious parents to opt their children out of lesson time that included an option for reading books with LGBTQ+ characters.  

These opt out policies are hurtful to LGBTQI+ families and rob children of the chance to learn more about the world they live in. But nothing in this decision bans schools from being able to provide LGBTQI+ inclusive materials and curriculum. It just means that they might have to honor opt out requests from religious parents if a court decides it is practical for the school to do so.  

We know, it’s a tad complicated. Read our in-depth explainer on the case for more information.  

You may have heard about federal funding cuts at your school. Maybe, you’ve even seen supportive programs paused in anticipation of budget shortfalls. Here’s some good news: The Trump administration is releasing over $6 billion dollars of promised federal funding schools following a lawsuit by 22 states. This should restore funding for a range of programs including those for students with special needs, English language learners, and after-school programs. For the many schools who were holding their breath, wondering if they would have the resources to serve their students, this is a big sigh of relief. But we don’t know what the administration intends to do with this funding long-term, so the uncertainty continues.  

Despite the end of the federal funding freeze, the Trump administration is still threatening the funding of schools who take measures to support and affirm LGBTQI+ young people and families. They are also threatening to pull funding from schools that have a sex education curriculum that includes LGBTQI+ people, and—through civil rights investigations—schools that have trans-inclusive bathroom and sports policies. Many schools are standing firm in the face of these attacks, especially those with state governments to support them. But others have attempted to comply, sometimes even before a lawsuit has arrived.  

This is what the Trump Administration wants. The purpose of this bullying is to scare schools in preemptively dropping their support for LGBTQ+ people, and trans students especially, without the Administration having to justify their actions to the courts.  

We know this is a lot. We also know that access to accurate, up-to-date information can make a huge difference, which is why we have a number of new and improved resources to support you and your family on your school journey.  

No matter where your school falls on the spectrum between affirming and hostile, there are ways for you and your family to advocate—and our three-part resource can help!

From executive orders to Supreme Court cases, it can be hard to keep track of the laws and policies impacting LGBTQ+ families in the classroom. Explore our explainers for more guidance.

One of the hot topics around schools right now are challenges to inclusive books, also known as “book bans.” Learn how you can take action and review our resource hub below.