Books thrown and tension high during hearing for 'Parents Bill of Rights', a look at how we got here

BUY VISIT HENDRICK CARS, DOT

>> ALL RIGHT. HERE'S THE QUOTE

OF THE DAY. THERE WAS BOOKED

THROWING THEIR WAS CUSSING.

THERE WAS ALL OF THAT. I HAD

SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT.

THAT'S THE QUOTE OF THE DAY

COMING FROM AMOS QUICK. THE

STATE HOUSE REP FROM GUILFORD

COUNTY. THAT WAS HIS REACTION

AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE PARENTS

BILL OF RIGHTS. AND IT GOT

HEATED. THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT

COMMITTEE SCHEDULED THE HEARING

TO QUESTION THE SCHOOL BOARD

CHAIR FOR THE CHAPEL HILL

CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS IN A

SOCIAL MEDIA POST. GEORGE

GRIFFIN SAID HEATH UP PARTS

OF THE PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS

WERE DISCRIMINATORY. REPUBLICAN

LAWMAKERS SAID GRIFFIN'S

DISTRICT WAS NOT COMPLYING WITH

THE RULE AND THAT'S WHEN HOUSE

MAJORITY LEADER BRENDAN JONES

PULLED OUT A BOOK CALLED

SANTA'S HUSBAND CLAIMING IT WAS

AVAILABLE TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

STUDENTS.

>> IS THIS OK IN YOUR GUIDANCE?

I'M NOT AWARE THAT THAT BOOK AT

YOUR SUPER FAN AND YOU'RE NOT

AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN

YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. YOU DON'T

KNOW WHAT'S PRINTED. AND TRENT.

THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THAT.

IT'S I'VE BEEN NEGLECTED HERE

FOR GOING ON 10 YEARS. AND I

HAVE TO SAY TO YOU, I DON'T

APOLOGIZE FOR ANYBODY ELSE,

BUT I HAVE SECONDHAND

EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE WAY THIS

MEETING WAS BEING CONDUCTED.

>> NOW, BLOGS ABOUT BOOKS

ASIDE. WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT

WHETHER OR NOT CHAPEL HILL

CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS DID

VIOLATE THE PARENTS BILL OF

RIGHTS BECAUSE THE DISTRICT

CLAIMS THAT THEY ARE IN

COMPLIANCE NOW TO FIGURE OUT

EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON.

I SPOKE WITH WRAL, STATE

GOVERNMENT REPORTER PAUL SPAY.

PAUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR

JOINING US. FIRST QUESTION I

HAVE IS WHY WE'RE STATE

LAWMAKERS SO FRUSTRATED WITH

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

>> WELL, IT ALL STARTED WITH A

SOCIAL MEDIA POST A COUPLE

MONTHS AGO. THERE'S AN ACCOUNT

ON X ALSO KNOWN AS TWITTER

CALLED LIBS OF TIKTOK AND THEY

ELEVATED THIS VIDEO OF THE

CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO SCHOOL

BOARD CHAIRMAN SAYING THAT HE

DIDN'T LIKE THIS LAW THAT WAS

PASSED IN 2023. CALLED THE

PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS. NOW HE

DIDN'T THINK THEY SHOULD FOLLOW

SOME OF IT. NOW THAT VIDEO IS

FROM JANUARY 2024. SO A LOT

OF TIME HAS PASSED SINCE THEN.

BUT IT GOT PEOPLE SO RILED UP

THAT SOCIAL MEDIA POST THAT

IT PROMPTED OUR STATE LAWMAKERS

TO INVITE THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICT

OFFICIALS TO RALLY THE SORT

OF TO QUESTION THEM ABOUT.

EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THE PARENTS,

BILL OF RIGHTS.

>> AND WHAT CHAPEL HILL

CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS ALLEGEDLY

DID TO VIOLATE IT. RIGHT.

SO IT'S A SET OF LAWS. THERE'S

THERE'S A LOT IN THAT

PARTICULAR BILL AND THE SCHOOL

BOARD ADOPTED A LOT OF THE 2

PARTS THEY DIDN'T ADOPT AND

DIDN'T WANT TO ADOPT THAT FIRST

BACK IN 2024. WORLD. ONE PART

THAT SAID IF YOUR CHILD WANTS

TO GO BY DIFFERENT PRONOUN OR

EVEN THE DIFFERENT NAME, YOU

HAVE AS A TEACHER, YOU HAVE

TO TELL THAT STUDENT'S PARENT

THE OTHER PART IS JUST ABOUT

GOVERNING CONVERSATIONS OF

ORIENTATION AND DISCUSSIONS IN

THE CLASSROOM FOR KIDS IN

KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 4TH GRADE.

THOSE ARE THE 2 THINGS THEY

STILL SAW SORT OF AS

DISCRIMINATORY. IT SOUND LIKE

THEY'VE SINCE GONE INTO

COMPLIANCE WITH THOSE THINGS.

RIGHT. SO IN THE VIDEO, HE SAID

AS MUCH WHAT YOU JUST SAID BACK

IN JANUARY 2024. AND IN

FEBRUARY 2024, WAS BOARD

CHAIRMAN SENT AN E-MAIL THAT

SAID SO THE SAME THING WE'RE

GOING TO TOP TALL. BUT THESE

2 THINGS AFTER THAT, HE SAYS IN

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SAID WE ARE

GOING TO COMPLY. WE'RE GOING TO

DIRECT OUR STAFF TO COME UP

WITH A SET OF GUIDELINES FOR

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATIONS

WHEN THEY DO COME UP IN THE

CLASSROOM, NOT PASS. A STATE

GOVERNMENT REPORTER. THANK YOU

SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH US

AND EXPLAINING ALL THIS IS

OBVIOUSLY A COMPLICATED TOPIC

THAT AFFECTS SO MANY KIDS IN

OUR STATE. HERE'S A LOOK

>> HOW WE GOT HERE

>> DEBATES AROUND PARENTS,

RIGHTS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

STARTED BACK IN THE 1920'S.

THERE ARE CASES ABOUT BANNING

FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN

LAWS REQUIRING ALL STUDENTS

TO ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOL.

IT WASN'T UNTIL THE 2020'S,

THOUGH, THAT THINGS REALLY

RAMPED UP THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

TOOK STUDENTS OUT OF THE

CLASSROOM. MANY PARENTS WANTED

THEM TO GO BACK AND FOR THE

STUDENTS WHO DID GO BACK, THEY

HAD TO WEAR A MASK, ANOTHER

POLICY THAT MANY PARENTS DIDN'T

LIKE. I WOULD PREFER THE

CHOICE.

>> I'M THE PARENT, MY CHILD.

I WANT TO MAKE THE CHOICE

WHETHER MY CHILD TO WEAR A MASK

OR NOT.

>> AND WHEN CLASS WAS REMOTE,

PARENTS DIDN'T JUST SEE

HOMEWORK. THEY SAW THE FULL

LESSON PLAN RIGHT AT THEIR

KITCHEN TABLE. AND MANY DID NOT

LIKE WHAT THEY WERE SEEING,

WHAT CHILDREN ARE BEING TALKED

TODAY IN SCHOOLS BY RADICAL

MARXIST EDUCATORS AND

ADMINISTRATORS AS SICKENING.

IT IS FILLED. IT IS FULL OF

LIES IN 2021. THE FOCUS WAS

ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY.

SOME LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS

TOOK ACTION THEMSELVES LIKE

JOHNSTON COUNTY SCHOOLS.

THE POLICY DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY

BAN ANY BOOKS OR TOPICS.

IT DOES BAN TEACHING THE NOTION

THAT RACISM IS A PERMANENT

COMPONENT OF AMERICAN LIFE.

LAWMAKERS FOLLOWED SUIT.

AT LEAST 44 STATES CONSIDER

BANS ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY,

INCLUDING NORTH CAROLINA.

BUT GOVERNOR ROY COOPER VETOED

IT IN 2022, THE FOCUS THEN

SHIFTED TO GENDER IDENTITY AND

SEXUALITY. GRASSROOTS GROUPS

LIKE MOMS FOR LIBERTY STARTED

SHOWING UP AT SCHOOL BOARD

MEETINGS, CHALLENGING LIBRARY

BOOKS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THIS

SUBJECT MATTER SHOULD BE PART

OF AN ELA CURRICULUM FOR ANY

AGE OR GRADE? AND AGAIN,

LAWMAKERS FOLLOWED SUIT THE

HERITAGE FOUNDATION, A

CONSERVATIVE THINK TANK CREATED

A BLUEPRINT. THEY CALLED IT THE

GIVEN NAME ACT. IT WOULD BAN

SCHOOLS FROM CHANGING NAMES OR

PRONOUNS FOR STUDENTS UNLESS

THE PARENTS ALLOWED IT. THE

IDEA STARTED POPPING UP IN

STATE LEGISLATURES WITH A NEW

NAME. THE PARENTS BILL OF

RIGHTS.

>> FLORIDA PASSED THEIR VERSION

IN 2022. AND CRITICS GAVE IT A

DIFFERENT NAME. THE QUOTE,

DON'T SAY BILL.

>> CLEARLY SINGLING OUT CLEARLY

DISCRIMINATING AGAINST IN THE

SITUATION. WE FEEL IT IN 2023.

IT WAS NORTH CAROLINA'S TURN.

SENATE BILL 49 REQUIRED SCHOOLS

TO NOTIFY PARENTS OF A STUDENT

AND WANTED TO CHANGE NAMES OR

PRONOUNS REQUIRED SCHOOLS TO

GIVE PARENTS FULL INSIGHT INTO

CURRICULUM AND IT BANNED

LESSONS ON GENDER IDENTITY AND

SEXUALITY FROM KINDERGARTEN

TO 4TH GRADE. GOVERNOR COOPER

VETOED THIS BILL, TOO. BUT THIS

TIME REPUBLICANS HAD THE VOTES

IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE.

THEY OVERRODE COOPER'S VETO AND

THE PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS

BECAME LAW. WE'RE NOT KNOCKING.

>> OUR SCHOOL AND OUR STAFF

WERE THE SAME FAMILIES. FIRST.

THIS IS BAD FOR BUSINESS.

IT'S BAD FOR LGBT TO KEEP KIDS

IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE WAKE

AND DURHAM COUNTIES STARTED

APPROVING NEW POLICY TO FALL IN

LINE WITH THE NEW LAW. BUT A

HANDFUL OF REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS

SAID CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO CITY

SCHOOLS DID NOT FALL IN LINE

AND CALLED THEM TO A HEARING.

IT STRESSED. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO

THAT AND THAT'S HOW WE GOT.

AND I DO WANT TO NOTE AS WRAL'S

FLINCH, SNYDER REPORTED THAT

THE BOOK THAT REPRESENTATIVE

JONES JUST THREW THAT YOU SAW

ON THAT VIDEO.

>> ALLEGEDLY WAS NEVER IN THE

SCHOOL'S LIBRARIES. REPUBLICAN

REPRESENTATIVE JEFF MCNEELY

WARNED SCHOOL OFFICIALS THAT

THEY COULD FACE CONSEQUENCES IF

THEY DON'T COMPLY WITH THIS

BILL, SUGGESTING THE STATE

COULD CUT FUNDING LAWMAKERS

WOULD LIKELY HAVE PASSED A NEW

BILL FOR THAT TO ACTUALLY

HAPPEN. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP YOU

POSTED ON THAT. IF YOU HAVE ANY

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS TOPIC OR

ANY OTHER STORIES IN THE

NEWSCAST, SEND US AN E-MAIL.

07:00PM AT WRAL COM. YOUR

FEEDBACK DRIVES THIS NEWSCAST.

TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE ON