FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2023
Contact: Laura Macklem
[email protected]

GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPHOLDS PARENTAL RIGHTS WITH VETO OVERRIDE PAVING THE WAY FOR TRANSPARENCY

The Senate and House today voted to override Governor Cooper’s veto of the “Parents Bill of Rights,” enacting the bill into law and ensuring parents will be fully informed about curriculum and their children’s mental and physical health. SB 49 also protects students in grades K-4 from instruction on sexual activity and gender identity.

“Parents already have the fundamental right to oversee the education and upbringing of their own children, but public schools have slowly been usurping those rights by hiding information and slipping radical ideologies into their lessons. SB 49 makes it clear, students belong to their parents, not to government schools,” said NC Values Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald. “Governor Cooper vetoed the will of the people when he dismissed parental rights, defying 80% of North Carolinians. NC Values is thankful Republicans in the General Assembly listened to an overwhelming majority of their constituents with this override.”

In January 2023, NC Values Coalition and NC Faith & Freedom Coalition commissioned a statewide poll which revealed 80% of North Carolinians favored more transparency in schools. North Carolina parents have been attending school board meetings in droves protesting indoctrination and secrecy, elevating the urgency for North Carolina to enact a legislative remedy.

Provisions in SB 49 include:

  • school districts must inform parents about health services offered, including physical, mental and emotional. This includes parental notification a child is assuming a gender identity at school not consistent with their biological sex.
  • a requirement for schools to establish a process for parents to object to textbooks and supplementary instructional materials.
  • an opt-in for surveys asking for personal information.
  • a process for parents to learn about clubs and activities including curricular or extra-curricular.

“In public schools we have staff showing children pornography and keeping secrets with them about their personal lives, which are grooming tactics Governor Cooper authorized with his veto,” said Fitzgerald. “NC Values will continue to alert and educate parents about indoctrination, violations of parental rights, and about inappropriate and obscene books in school libraries across the state.”

NC Values will hold two “Mama Bear Workshops” in August, one in Greensboro and another in Hickory. The workshops will educate the public about how to identify indoctrination, explain provisions in the “Parents Bill of Rights,” and will discuss various school choice options. In addition, NC Values will be endorsing candidates in certain school board races in 2023.

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