Education

In the past few weeks, school districts across the state have struggled to implement provisions included in Senate Bill 49, also known as North Carolina’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

In recent years, extremist groups have set up shop in hundreds of school districts in the U.S. – pushing the wave of book bans, erasure of school curriculum, and measures targeting Black and LGBTQ+ students. 

For the longest while in North Carolina, K-12 public schools have been on the struggle bus.

Last month, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system became one of the first districts in the state to implement measures from North Carolina’s very own version of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Classrooms across the state, particularly in Wake County schools, are feeling the impact of inadequate investments. For years, state Republicans have failed to pass state budgets that include meaningful investments towards the public school infrastructure – leading to numerous school districts facing out of date facilities.

Recently, the New Hanover County school board voted to temporarily remove the book “Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, And You” from their district’s classrooms following a complaint made by one parent. The decision came after a five-hour public hearing where Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust and Assistant Superintendent Dawn Brinson argued against Katie Gates, the lone complainant and parent of a former Ashley High School AP Language and Composition student.