RALEIGH, NC – Today the North Carolina General Assembly introduced a monster anti-public education bill that would strip our students of basic rights and attempt to drive a wedge between parents and educators.
Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators released the following statement:
“As the General Assembly is still considering an unprecedented expansion of private school vouchers through taxpayer dollars with no oversight or regulation of those funds, they are simultaneously introducing legislation that would impose unfunded mandates and extreme restrictions on our public schools.
“While titled the Children’s Law, SB 90 strips students of the freedom to learn by imposing restrictions on minors visiting libraries, students' participation in extracurricular activities, or to just be called by their preferred name at school. Parents and educators should be partners in ensuring students receive the academic support needed to thrive in the future. However, this bill creates a division between parents and educators by imposing harsh penalties on school librarians and superintendents if just a handful of parents believe they are not adhering to the extreme restrictions laid out in SB 90.
“Many of our students need more support and SB 90 will take away that critical academic time and support as public school staff scramble to comply with a laundry list of absurd new policies and restrictions. In a time of high teacher and support staff vacancies, the General Assembly is once again showing their misplaced priorities rather than supporting public school students and families.
"The students and families who choose to attend public schools deserve better than extreme restrictions over what books they can read or whether they can access mental health support before they’re in crisis. The educators who dedicate their time to public service deserve to do their jobs without fear and parents deserve to be able to trust their child’s teacher without being fed false claims about what’s happening in our schools.”
