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A conservative nonprofit is bringing pocket Constitutions to NHC middle schools

This letter accompanies the pocket Constitution distribution.
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NHCS

NHCS is letting the distribution of pocket Constitutions move forward from the New Hanover County chapter of Moms for Liberty. While most agree it’s a positive move to give students a copy of the U.S. Constitution, these pamphlets will have the branding of the 917 Society, which claims to be a nonpartisan group, but materials and postings on its website and social media suggest otherwise; for example, gubernatorial Republican candidate Mark Robinson is the keynote speaker for their celebration of Constitution Day.

*Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Natosha Tew.

At the New Hanover County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, September 3, two school board candidates came to the public comment period to speak about the New Hanover County Moms for Liberty (M4L) chapter delivering pocket Constitutions sponsored by 917 Society to celebrate Constitution Day on September 17. The pocket Constitutions are branded with the group’s name.

At this meeting, NHC M4L legislation chair and NHC GOP school board candidate Natosha Tew said they planned to distribute 2,400 pocket Constitutions to every eighth grader in the county. Tew also spoke about the court injunction filed in part by M4L against the Biden administration’s “outrageous” Title IX restrictions.

She said chapter president Jan Boswell had contacted all the members about doing this. On September 2, Boswell emailed Board Chair Pete Wildeboer, stating, “Moms for Liberty members have a great love for our Country and hope that you and your students find celebrating Constitution Day rewarding!” She also requested that they distribute those pocket Constitutions to 8th-grade students.

Dr. Tim Merrick, a Democrat running for the NHC school board, also spoke during the September 3 public comment period. He offered a different perspective.

“It's come to my attention that there are two political activist groups that would like to get involved in our schools, and you've made it quite clear how you feel about political activism, and I agree with you; politics has no place in our schools,” he said.

Merrick then brought up the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) designation of M4L as an extremist group. SPLC has long kept track of extremist and hate groups, though the organization’s neutrality in those designations has been challenged (as in this piece from the Washington Post).

Moms for Liberty has been at the forefront of book challenges, pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and limiting discussion on gender identity.

Merrick added, “Before anyone gets the wrong idea because I know someone will, I love the idea of our students having a Constitution in their back pocket. I think it's fantastic. In fact, they could even look up how some of this board's policies have infringed upon the First Amendment rights. So I actually support having a Constitution being given to our students, but only if the stipulations of policy 5210 are followed and if there is nothing printed except what is in the Constitution, in other words, no branding, no advertisements, and no mention of who donated them.”

In an email sent to WHQR, board member Stephanie Kraybill said she supports giving out Constitutions to students, but those should not mention the 917 Society.

Merrick then detailed what would happen if the roles were reversed. The ACLU wanted to distribute pamphlets about voter suppression, and the NAACP distributed them. “I'm just thinking that you might find reasons to deny that application for political activism reasons.”

He warned the board, “So be very careful of what doors you open and to whom because lawsuits are expensive.”

The 917 Society’s website states that it is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. However, it states that one of its goals is to put “God and Country” back into the classrooms. The organization also gives out Bibles to schools. It recently held a fundraiser at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, and another 917 event featured primarily Republican organizations supporting the group. Moreover, on Constitution Day, 917 is advertising a political event for Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, who is running for NC Governor.

In August, they also have a post on social media that reads, “Long-time Democrats are leaving the party, driven by a yearning for core American values and unity over division. #ConservativeMovement #WokeCulture #IdentityPolitics [...]”

M4L is an openly partisan organization. Tew said, though, 917 is not a "political organization. They are an educational 501(c)3 charity according to the IRS rules. The 917 Society does not align with any political party or endorse any candidates."

While thousands of Constitutions will be branded with the 917 Society logo, about 1,000 from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will not.

Interim superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes wrote a letter to middle school principals giving out the pocket Constitutions (*You can find the letter at the end of this report). They'll be delivered by representatives of M4L this week. It reads in part, “We appreciate the support of our donors, both the 917 Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution, which enabled us to provide every 8th-grade student with a copy of this essential document. The distribution of these booklets does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by New Hanover County Schools of those organizations. However, we applaud the work done to ensure that every 8th grade student is provided with the opportunity to learn more about our great country and its history.”

This move comes amid an NHCS staff climate survey that nearly 2,000 employees answered. The survey included written comments suggesting that the board decrease partisanship within the district.

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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