For the second time in five months, the North Carolina House Oversight Committee grilled Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) superintendent Rodney Trice on Thursday over the district’s policy and library books related to gender and sexuality.
And at the end, Republican Chairman Rep. Brenden Jones announced that he had filed legislation that would establish a procedure for investigating and financially punishing a district that is determined to be out of compliance with the state’s 2023 “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” He even named it the “CHCCS (Curriculum Honesty, Compliance, and Child Safety) Act” after the district.
“Because when a district chooses not to follow the law, it should not expect to continue receiving taxpayer dollars without accountability,” Jones, who represents Columbus and Robeson counties, said. “Public funds come with public obligations. If those obligations are ignored, there will be consequences.”
The just-introduced bill has a long way to go before it might become law, but by threatening funding, Jones is escalating the culture war beyond mere rhetoric and social media outrage. The bill is a warning to school districts like CHCCS, where administrators and school board members have tried to follow the legislature’s socially conservative law while reflecting the values of their overwhelmingly Democratic and socially liberal districts.
At issue for the committee were two provisions of the 2023 law: One that requires schools to notify parents before changing a student’s name or pronouns, and one that bans “instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in curriculum prior to fifth grade.
In both instances, Trice insisted that his district follows the law. Committee Republicans disagreed, especially on the second count.
Jones displayed illustrations from a list of picture books found in CHCCS libraries, and asked if Playboy magazine would be allowed in the district’s collection (“It’s a ridiculous question and I will not entertain it,” responded Trice. “Move on, let’s move on.”) Jones highlighted “Grandad’s Pride,” which, in one illustration of an LGBT+ pride parade, shows a shirtless man in what appears to be leather underwear kissing another man.
“Is this the goal? Is this the curriculum? Is this the studies that you want Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools known for?” Jones asked Trice.
“I see community,” Trice said of the picture book displayed on the screens in the auditorium. “I see two couples who appear to be in a loving relationship. They’re not breaking any laws, they’re not hurting anyone. That’s certainly something a child may see in their community.”
Trice, in his testimony, argued that many library books are not part of the curriculum (which is regulated under the state law), but are meant to support overall literacy goals and interest in reading.
Wake County Republican Rep. Mike Schietzelt accused Trice of trying “to split hairs” because “All these books are here to serve literacy. All of these books are to encourage academic interests, and that itself is part of the curriculum.”
Jones’ bill would erase any ambiguity by expanding the “curriculum” definition to include “any electronic, print, or non-print resources for independent use by students and school personnel.”
It would also allow parents to sue for $5,000 in damages “per violation,” and allow the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction or state auditor to investigate a district for noncompliance. If found to be noncompliant, a district would have 45 days to fall in line, or the state would withhold funds it provides for the district’s administration.
In interviews after the hearing, the area’s Democratic legislators said they were none too pleased with the hearing or Jones’ bill.
Rep. Allen Buansi shook his head and told INDY that “all I know is that we haven’t done our number one job—to pass a state budget to support our schools.” Sen. Jonah Garson called the hearing “pageantry and sadism.”
“To the LGBTQIA+ kids and parents listening in,” he said, “and to all the educators who work hard to take care of all of our kids and all of our children, I’m sorry you have to hear this bullshit.”
During the hearing, Rowan County Republican Rep. Harry Warren pointed to the day’s debate as just the latest on the ongoing question of the role of the state in educating American children.
“Some people may look at this and say, ‘We can defend this because it’s teaching tolerance and acceptance, it’s identifying with the student,’” Warren said. “Others may view it a little differently, and say that it’s, at best, social engineering, at worst, it’s grooming. But in any case, it’s still an encroachment on parents’ rights and parents’ responsibility, and it’s in direct conflict with the legislative intent of [the Parents’ Bill of Rights].”
Republicans hold a majority in both chambers and could pass Jones’ bill without any Democratic support. But as the lack of a state budget indicates, party members don’t necessarily always have the same priorities.
Garson, who was sworn in this week, questioned the GOP appetite for the bill: “To be frank, I think that at this point there are a number of Republican legislators who see this for the pageantry it is, and frankly, are more concerned about trying to find a way through to pass a budget and do substantive things.”
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