When North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a rare state of emergency for public education in May, it revved teams of parents across the state. They, too, wanted to push back against the impacts of what Cooper called the Republican legislature’s “schemes” to expand private school vouchers, defund public schools and push culture wars in the classroom.
Janice Robinson took the call seriously, and on a night in August when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board approved policies to comply with the Parents’ Bill of Rights, she spoke out. Robinson called the new laws that limit instruction of LGBTQ+ issues in elementary schools, among other things, a “ruse to take away the rights of other parents.”
“Our goal is not about being loud, but being reasonable and inclusive,” Robinson told The Charlotte Observer last week. “We join supporters of public education.”
Robinson and a group of about 20 parents make up Mecklenburg County’s chapter of Public School Strong, a network launched in May with about 30 other teams across the state. Their charge is to be an ever-increasing presence at school board meetings, wearing matching blue shirts with big hearts.
Read the full article at qnotescarolinas.com