In this episode, host Sloan Simmons joins Partners Chelsea Olson-Murphy and Kyle A. Raney for a practical discussion of the holding, impact, and resulting best practices following the Supreme Court’s opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor regarding the ability of parents to opt their children out of certain curriculum based upon sincerely held religious beliefs.

Show Notes & References

1:50 – Opt-out statutes in other states and how California can prepare for these changes
3:08 – Case background: Mahmoud v. Taylor (2025) 606 U.S. 522 (Client News Brief - July 2025)
9:31 – Wisconsin vs. Yoder (1972) 406 U.S. 205
9:59 – Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. (2022) 597 U.S. 507  (Client News Brief - August 2023)
11:11 – What the Supreme Court held in Mahmoud
15:56 – Why the Mahmoud decision matters for Local Educational Agencies (LEAs)
20:20 – Employment Div., Dept. of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith (1988) 485 U.S. 660
21:56 – Practical considerations
27:42 – Interactions with California law
27:51 – The FAIR Act (Client News Brief - October 2025)
28:38 – Best practices and recommendations for LEAs
36:16 – Template opt-out forms and three prongs of information to gather
41:16 – Takeaways and final thoughts

 

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast

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