Imagine excelling in school—only to have your diploma denied because your family refuses to compromise its Christian faith.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Montgomery County, Maryland. Public school officials are withholding “Jane’s” high school diploma—not because of academics, but because she declined to participate in mandatory LGBTQ+ health classes that directly contradict her Christian beliefs.
This isn’t a scheduling oversight. Jane and her family have been fighting this battle for over two years. From the very beginning, they’ve acted with integrity—petitioning school leaders, requesting religious accommodations, and pursuing every available legal avenue. They did everything right.
But Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) did not. Officials have chosen to make an example of Jane—punishing her for her family’s faith and denying her the recognition she’s earned.
Her graduation is now just days away. And after years of patient advocacy, her family had hoped for justice by now.
Instead, the courts are dragging their feet—delaying a ruling while Jane’s future hangs in the balance. Her parents have pleaded with the Maryland Supreme Court to take up the case directly, bypassing the lower appellate court’s slow walk, and delivering a decision in time.
This is not about confusion, poor planning, or administrative error. It’s about deliberate denial of religious freedom. Here’s what’s happening:
- Jane’s family followed the law and requested a religious accommodation—yet the district refused to honor their rights.
- They fought this battle in court for over two years, only to see judges and bureaucrats slow-walk justice.
- Now, with graduation just days away, MCPS is still using Jane’s diploma as leverage—daring her to betray her faith to get what she has already earned.
Even more troubling, a new Superintendent of Schools and a recently replaced School Board President have done nothing to correct this blatant injustice. Rather than course-correct, MCPS leadership is digging in its heels, continuing to defy basic constitutional rights and enforce ideological conformity.
At its core, this is about a government-run school district penalizing a student for her Christian faith. If administrators are allowed to deny graduation over traditional religious convictions, then religious freedom, parental rights, and educational fairness are being actively dismantled.
Jane’s situation isn’t just about one diploma—it’s a frontline struggle against ideological coercion in public education. We must push back—immediately and forcefully.
MCPS is hoping the public outrage fades, and that ideological pressure becomes quietly normalized. But Jane’s family is standing firm—and they need us to stand with them.
Every family has the fundamental right to guide their children's education in accordance with their conscience.
No public school has the moral authority—or constitutional power—to override that parental role.
Jane excelled in every academic standard with a 4.76 weighted GPA and received a 1450 (96th percentile) on her SAT. The only thing standing between her and graduation, is a refusal to bow to an agenda that rejects her faith.
Religious freedom and parental rights are foundational liberties—they don’t come from school boards. They’re protected under the U.S. Constitution.
When schools begin to enforce ideological compliance by threatening graduation, families across America are placed in danger. This must not be allowed to stand.
Here’s why we can win—and what’s at stake if we don’t.
Montgomery County officials refusal to accommodate faith-based objections opens the door to consequences from higher courts—and public backlash they hope to avoid.
Our power lies in national attention, strong legal advocacy, and unified grassroots pressure.
If we win this battle, it becomes a victory for millions of families who want to raise their children according to their beliefs, without government interference.
If we lose? Radicalized school districts will feel emboldened to silence and punish faith-filled families—and your rights could be next.
