School choice and parental rights advocates are opposing a bill that recently passed the Maryland House of Delegates, raising concerns that it would expand government control over private and religious schools if it becomes law.
The measure, “Advancing Equal Educational Opportunities for All Students in Maryland” (HB 649), bans discrimination on the basis of “gender identity” or sexual orientation in educational institutions and establishes that complaints of discrimination will could lead to charges of civil rights violations. The bill authorizes the Commission on Civil Rights to investigate and enforce the new discrimination rules at schools.
The bill additionally establishes a private right of action, allowing individuals to sue over alleged violations of the discrimination law.
The bill says single-sex schools, religious private schools, and some other private schools would receive certain exceptions. The bill’s opponents, however, say that the exemptions are limited and narrow, leaving religious and private schools with considerable religious freedom vulnerabilities.
All other public and nonpublic educational institutions would be required to adhere to the discrimination policy.
Jeremy Wayne Tate, founder of the Classical Learning Test, posted on X that the bill poses a threat.
“It places the state government over control of private Christian schools so these schools can’t ‘discriminate’ in admissions toward students and families who disagree with the school on issues like homosexuality or transgenderism,” he said.
School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis also said on X that the legislation would force all “private schools to hand their admissions processes to the government.”
“Religious schools would be forced to embrace transgender insanity,” he continued. “Leftists would have a new right to sue schools over gender ideology.”
BREAKING: Maryland House passed a bill to FORCE ALL private schools to hand their admissions processes to the government.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) March 25, 2026
Religious schools would be forced to embrace transgender insanity.
Leftists would have a new right to sue schools over gender ideology.
It passed 100–35. pic.twitter.com/y9g8EGspne
DeAngelis pointed out that the bill applies to “ALL private schools from pre-K through college,” and raised concerns that Maryland’s Democratic politicians, who currently control the legislature, “are socialists who think they own your kids.”
According to DeAngelis, parental rights advocacy organization Maryland Family Institute has promised to fight the proposal.
The bill passed in the House 100-35 and awaits action from the Senate.