NHCS curricular changes has a board member going to great lengths to shine a spotlight on DEI
"We have to stop every program in our schools that treats one student differently from the next."
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY)–Changes coming to the New Hanover County Schools’ curriculum have some board of education members who are opposed to the differences, going to eyebrow-raising lengths to shine a spotlight on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
New Hanover County Middle School parents are now getting a letter from the school district acknowledging the school board’s approval of changes to its middle school sex ed program.
A school board memo from this month says, quote, “potentially controversial curricular details were added in 2021” to the “Stepping Stones” program.
After President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders about education and DEI, the school board voted to combine the two programs into one “family life” program, which includes everything from “My Life” and adds only a few aspects of “Stepping Stones,” including teaching about contraception, fetal development, sex trafficking, and abuse.
The vote was 5 to 2, with board members Judy Justice and Tim Merrick voting against the changes. Merrick says the push is part of a broader attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion. So, he’s fighting back in his way. He sent this email to our station and his fellow board members. It says the district needs to end its gifted program, a program that provides special instructions for students who show high potential or performance, and its special education program to comply with North Carolina’s legislation.
Merrick says the email was sent to be sarcastic. However, he says, “There’s a lot of fear of what might happen, simply using a word.”
Merrick says it comes after a school made a post with the word diversity in it. However, the teacher had to remove it. He wonders where the line is drawn when it comes to DEI.
“The basis for it is that we can’t have one child get more rights, access and opportunities than others. If we take that to a conclusion, we have to stop every program in our schools that treats one student differently from the next,” Merrick shared.
We then took Merrick’s email to republican board member Pete Wildeboer to see what he had to say.
“I think in this case, he is over-stretching his knowledge on a lot of these things. Federal protection for students with disabilities remains unchanged. I don’t understand where he’s coming from with that. Students with disabilities will be protected. They will get everything they need,” Wildeboer said.
Also a part of some changes, parents are given the choice to stay in, or opt out of the “Family Life” program with updated topics.
