You could take the time to read through Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson’s 831-page report published yesterday by his anti-liberal indoctrination task force, “F.A.C.T.S.,” or I could save you the trouble: it’s a load of bullshit.
The report, if you can even call it that, is comprised of about 500 submissions from members of the public detailing perceived instances of liberal brainwashing in public schools, most of which have to do with things like parents being mad that their kid’s teacher wore a BLM shirt on their Bitmoji during virtual school or assignments that have kids reading propaganda from extreme leftist outlets like CNN.
The report’s findings were a forgone conclusion given Robison’s need to drum up controversy—see critical race theory—for his base in time for 2022. Robinson found “indoctrination”—which the report itself does not define but can be deduced to mean “anything in a school smelling remotely liberal that pissed me off”—”in every region of North Carolina.”
Although the report didn’t find any statistical pattern to the endemic liberal-coercion, “there seems to be more concentration in more of the urban areas,” it concludes.
But Robinson’s report doesn’t actually show indoctrination is happening in North Carolina in any meaningful way, as former INDY editor Jeffrey Billman points out. Only about 3 percent of submissions would violate House Bill 324, advancing in the legislature, which would forbid “13 concepts” from being promoted in schools. The concepts include ideas like moral character is determined by race or sex, meritocracies are sexist or racist, and the “United States government should be violently overthrown.”
The vast majority of submissions were just paranoid parents being pissed off about something their kid told them happened at school that day. Here are some examples:
My nephew came home yesterday from school and informed me that his teacher laughed in his face when he said George Washington was the best president. The teacher laughed and embarrassed him and then told the class that the only right answer was Obama.
My daughter was raised with sound biblical values (the Golden Rule, etc), but just 3 short years public school turned her into a full-blown socialist. She graduated about 15 years ago; but, even to this day, I cannot have a rational conversation with her regarding anything significant. The indoctrination and hate-mongering has gotten worse in our society. You see it everywhere. In EVERY classroom we need to remove or discourage socialism, critical race theory (et al), and anything else that promotes socialistic indoctrination (Marxism) and hatred. Or, at the very least, teach the Constitution, and the freedoms it espouses, in a positive light. Teach both sides. My daughter will not tell me any specific incidents (as a true socialist would not do); but, the fruit of public education STINKS.****WE NEED SCHOOL CHOICE NOW
Then there’s just a bunch of folks who want to rant:
Liberal left wing indoctrination of students could be ended almost immediately with one simple action: ending professor and teacher tenure. When an employee has guaranteed employment (no industry but teaching has this) for life, he or she can say or teach anything they like with no fear of consequences. I no longer want my tax dollars funding a socialist tenure system where my kids are being taught depraved communism with no end in sight and no way to punish those who are perpetuating the indoctrination. END TENURE NOW!#endtenurenow
About 100 submissions were just making fun of Robinson or berating him.
“Mao is being taught to my 7 year old in Wayne County! The reds are trying to convert my child! This “study” is a joke. Why is the Federated States of Micronesia even listed here? You are a joke Mark Robinson.”
“Take your guns and your big lies and out of our schools, you nasty Nazis.”
These submissions, all 506 of them, were taken at face value with no follow-up investigations as support that “indoctrination” is somehow the biggest crisis befalling North Carolina public schools and not, you know, underfunding, the pandemic, or crumbling infrastructure.
I’m sorry, Mr. Robinson, but that’s not how “facts” work. You don’t just say something is a problem, ask folks on the internet if it’s a problem, and then publish what they say as proof that you’re right.
This report is as devoid of facts as Robinson’s head. It belongs in a dumpster, along with every campaign sign for Robinson 2024.
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Follow Senior Staff Writer Leigh Tauss on Twitter or send an email to ltauss@indyweek.com.