Despite cautionary guidance from its attorney, the Moore County Board of Education is moving forward with a Parents’ Bill of Rights declaration that will become enshrined as a policy within Moore County public schools. The intent of the policy is to recognize that “parents have the right to instill in and nurture values and beliefs for their own children and make decisions concerning their children’s education and upbringing in accordance with their customs, faith and family culture.” A vote is anticipated at the board’s next public meeting, this Monday, April 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Robbins Elementary School. The policy is expected to pass with no fewer than six votes in favor (by the seven-member board), and with the support of MCS superintendent Tim Locklair. During a previous discussion, school board attorney Richard Schwartz cautioned board members to delay a vote until the North Carolina General Assembly acts on a bill that would become law if passed by the Senate. The House already has passed a version. The bill before the Senate is folded into the governor’s pending budget bill. The timeline for its passage is uncertain as budget debates tend to become protracted. However, the parents’ right bill is expected to pass when that time comes given Republican super-majority control of the chamber. Board chair Robert Levy quickly rejected Schwartz’s suggested wait-and-see approach, and was supported by vice chair David Hensley and member Pauline Bruno, among others. “Just as we did in banning critical race theory (ahead of state legislative action), this school board is going to lead the way on parental rights,” Hensley said via text on April 11. “What we are not going to is to rely on the NC General Assembly passing a parental bill of rights, as the House killed (a previous bill) during the (2022) legislative session. “They appear to be burying it this year as well. And, we are still waiting on them to pass the bill banning CRT.” Correctly cynical observers have noted that some Raleigh lawmakers are hesitant to work against the “woke” tide engulfing public education because they rely on contributions from Triangle-based “woke” corporations who advocate for deviant social trends such as child gender grooming and CRT-based curricula. Naturally, The Pilot’s coverage of the MCS policy declaration focused heavily on how blanket deference to parents to make the best social and moral decisions for their children might infringe on the “rights” of LBTGQ students or gender dysphoric students. Superintendent Locklair fed that narrative, questioning why anyone should be concerned that a counselor or teacher would encourage or facilitate a student’s choice in defiance of parents. “The word has been used — ‘grooming’. That’s something counselors would currently not do based on their standards, so I would argue that’s already an expectation.” Locklair said during remarks quoted by The Pilot. Trends nationwide in public education, exposed during pandemic lockdowns, find parents sharing Locklair’s expectation but later being shocked and disappointed when they learn about hidden grooming agendas by random teachers and counselors. It is akin to a similar trend that finds minority children being subtly taught that they are hopelessly shackled by “systemic racism” endemic in the United States since its founding.
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