Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

The recent election was very positive for freedom loving Americans at the national level, but not so much at the local level. Case in point is the struggle to ensure that our public education system follows the guidelines and principles that made this country great. Clearly, many of us believe that the public school system in North Carolina has been on the wrong path. The evidence in part is the large numbers of parents who are electing to send their children to private, charter or home-schools.   The demand for school choice has grown substantially.

The results of the race for state Superintendent of Public Instruction should set off alarm bells for all those who were hoping for change. The defeat of conservative Michelle Morrow by a left learning Mo Green, as well as the election of a Democrat Governor and Lieutenant Governor, will ensure that no significant improvement in the public schools will come from the state level. When asked what he would do if elected, Green is reported to have said he would keep things on the same path.   After serving 8 years as superintendent of Guilford County schools, he became the director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a notoriously leftist organization that is committed to supporting “social, economic, and environmental justice.” Sound familiar? In spite of spending 10 times the amount on the election than did Morrow, Green narrowly won by 119,000 votes.  It should be noted that Green opposes school choice and Opportunity Scholarships. Instead of a rational debate of the issues, Green’s campaign engaged in what all Democrats do–that is, personal attacks without any basis in fact. This is their typical strategy, and unfortunately, it frequently works.

So, faced with this situation, what can be done? A review of the General Statutes that govern the role and authority of local county Boards of Education does provide some glimmer of hope. For example, the local Boards of Education may:  provide training for teachers; make rules concerning conduct and duties of teachers and staff; obtain and select books and material not adopted by the state Department of Public Instruction; and regulate extracurricular activities such as athletics. The question now becomes whether the local Boards who want to return to traditional learning and stop the “Woke” indoctrination of our children will step up to the challenge, even if it means confronting the state Superintendent of Public Instruction. Many of the local Boards have Republican majorities. Let’s hope they have the courage to step up to the plate. If not, even more parents will take their children out of the public schools. I would not blame them.