'Blatantly homophobic': Missouri Catholic school accused of expelling A-student to punish mom

A Catholic school near Kansas City, Mo., has expelled an A-student because his mother objected to a ban on LGBTQ+ books, according to a report.

The Kansas City Starreported that St. John LaLande Catholic School in Blue Springs disenrolled Hollee Muller's 11-year-old son Hunter after "prayerful consideration."

A July letter from the school said both parents "stated both verbally and in writing you do not agree with nor do you support the teachings of the Catholic Church. After prayerful consideration and discussion among our school administration it is obvious we no longer have a partnership with you, since the values of your family are not in alignment with those of our school. Therefore, the school administration has made the decision to disenroll your child from our school."

But the Mullers are longtime and active members of the church. Muller's husband Paul even attended the school as a child, the report stated.

Muller said the problem began when a new priest "came rolling in hot" and started banning books, including a book about a polar bear with two mothers.

"I don't think being blatantly homophobic is a teaching of the Catholic Church," Muller told the paper. The school also banned the Duolingo language app for translating words like "gay" and "lesbian."

Another news source, CNN 10, was discontinued "because its parent company is too liberal," one mom said.

"I don't consider myself liberal, but banning books, and Duolingo? Don't punish the child for the parent. And honestly, Hollee did nothing wrong," she said.

School officials declined to comment, but a statement suggested the Mullers broke a "Family-School Covenant."

"When a family challenges Catholic teaching and curriculum decisions through sustained complaints to the school and diocesan administration, irreconcilable differences can arise. In these situations, it is in the best interest of the family and the school to separate," the statement said.

Correction: This article initially identified St. John LaLande Catholic School as being located in Kansas. It is located in Missouri.