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NHCS deletes Pride Month post, board set to vote on controversial policies and law firm representation

This image was deleted from NHCS social media yesterday.
NHCS
/
WHQR
This image was deleted from NHCS social media yesterday.

On Monday, June 3, New Hanover County Schools posted a message on social media celebrating Pride Month. However, shortly after posting, the district deleted it. It's a tense time for the board, which will meet tonight with several contentious votes on the docket.

*This article has been updated to include the district's reasoning behind deleting the post.

The social media post appeared briefly on Monday before it was taken down — although it remains unclear at whose direction.

The original message read:

As we step into June, we are excited to celebrate Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring and recognizing the diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ community. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and safe environment for all students, staff, and families.

NHCS believes in the power of diversity and the importance of creating a space where everyone feels valued and respected. Pride Month is a reminder of the progress we have made and the work that still needs to be done to ensure equality and acceptance for all.

Throughout this month, we will be engaging in various activities and initiatives to educate and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. 

We encourage everyone to participate, learn, and show support. Let us stand together to celebrate love, identity, and the beautiful diversity that enriches our school district.

When community members told WHQR the post had been taken down, we contacted the district for comment.

The district sent the following response referring to newly updated policies 7300 and 3200 — the ones that were updated via an "emergency" designation last month:

New Hanover County Schools follow policies as written.

We are obligated to ensure compliance with district policies in all forms of communication, including our digital and social media presence.

Our decision to remove the post was made carefully considering our responsibility to uphold district policies consistently.

We recognize the importance of representing our diverse community and are committed to finding ways to do so within the framework of our policies.

We appreciate the community's understanding as we work to balance the representation of our values with our commitment to policy compliance and remain committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all students and staff.

This move comes shortly after the board passed an “emergency” policy on May 2, dramatically limiting displays, signs, and flags to those representing the United States, the State of North Carolina, New Hanover Country, the school name and mascot, and/or the approved curriculum — the latter left considerable ambiguity. Legal experts at Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a non-profit that advocates and in some cases litigates to protect free speech, told WHQR the policy risked running afoul of the First Amendment.

The emergency, according to Board member Pat Bradford, was when UNC’s Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts had to put back the American flag amid campus protests against the war in Gaza.

Since the policy didn’t go through the proper channels of the policy committee, on May 21, Bradford and committee chair Melissa Mason amended the policy to add “postgraduate displays (trade schools, college, military), school-sponsored events, sponsorships, family photos, and student art, the school name and mascot, post-secondary [instruction]" to the list of acceptible images and symbols on displays, signs, and flags.

Board Member Stephanie Kraybill dissented during the May 21 committee meeting and earlier when the emergency policy passed 4-3. Kraybill said the policy was unnecessary and ran afoul of other district policies 2330 and 2410, which govern how new or updated policies get introduced.

It’s also worth noting that while this was treated as an “emergency” by Bradford, Mason, and Board Members Pete Wildeboer and Josie Barnhart, legal bills show the board was receiving advice on limiting displays and flags in the classroom as far back as September 2023.

The board will vote on codifying the policies (3200 and 7300) that dictate what flags, displays, and signs can be in classrooms and on campus at the 5 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, June 4.

There are other contentious votes on the docket for this evening. Six community speakers have signed up to discuss Battle of Books's future. It’s not listed on tonight’s agenda, but it was a point of contention at the board’s last agenda meeting. Barnhart is leading the charge in doing away with the program run by the North Carolina School Library Media Association (NCSLMA), saying she’d like another organization to run a district literary contest. She’s taken issue with some of the books' topics, including parents who are incarcerated and the reading of banned books. Last year, the district voted 4-3 to ban the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You in all high school classrooms.

The board will also vote on their legal representation. It is considering the firms of Poyner Spruill, Tharrington Smith, the Vogel Law Firm, and Crossley, McIntosh, Collier, Hanley & Edes, PLLC.

The Vogel Firm has had a contentious year. Last year, the firm was rated lowest in terms of quality on rubrics but still won the district’s contract. Port City Daily also reported that Vogel didn’t participate in the reapplication process this year.

Vogel was then subsequently sued by his former colleagues, the Sink Law Firm, for breach of contract. WECT has since reported that Jonathan Vogel has won his countersuit against the Sinks. Members Hugh McManus, Stephanie Kraybill, and Stephanie Walker have questioned Vogel's judgment and labeled his legal advice as partisan.

You can view the board’s agenda here.

Rachel is a graduate of UNCW's Master of Public Administration program, specializing in Urban and Regional Policy and Planning. She also received a Master of Education and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and French Language & Literature from NC State University. She served as WHQR's News Fellow from 2017-2019. Contact her by email: rkeith@whqr.org or on Twitter @RachelKWHQR