NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A post endorsing Pride month was uploaded and swiftly deleted by New Hanover County Schools Monday, leaving a few board members questioning its removal.
The New Hanover County Schools team created the June 3 post, marked “Live With Pride,” advocating for LGBTQ+ education, declaring a commitment to honor the LGBTQ+ community, and encouraging community participation and allyship:
“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.”
Salvatore Cardella, communications officer for the district, clarified the post was taken down, as it did not align with recently amended policies.
“We are obligated to ensure compliance with district policies in all forms of communication, including our digital and social media presence,” he said. “Our decision to remove the post was made carefully considering our responsibility to uphold district policies consistently.”
This comes as the school board is slated to take up the approval of two policies at Tuesday’s school board meeting. Policy 7300 focuses on staff responsibilities and limits what teachers can display in classrooms — flags, posters, signs, etc. Policy 3200 is selection of instructional material.
Board member Stephanie Walker took issue with the district removing the Pride post Tuesday, saying the policies do not include language specific to social media.
“They’re trying to fluff it up with other things,” she said. “If you are going to put displays in the classroom and building, that’s different to me than social media.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by board member Stephanie Kraybill.
“I think taking down this post was premature,” she said. “[The policy] only mentions displays. There is a gap in what is considered a display.”
Both policy amendments “limit displays in the classroom, school buildings, ball fields, school grounds, and buses.”
The original policy that passed 4-3 only allowed for classroom displays to include representations from the United States, North Carolina, New Hanover County and the school name and mascot, and approved curricula.
Walker called it a “rogue motion” she said other board members didn’t realize was going to be brought forth.
Pat Bradford suggested the hasty adoptions last month, due to an “emergency” situation. She blamed it on protests happening on university campuses regarding the Israel-Hamas war, as well as cited “racial and national discord.”
There’s an “anti-American sentiment in our country and in our state,” Bradford said at the early May meeting.
Yet, WHQR reported the school board was receiving and paying for legal advice on limiting displays and flags in the classroom since September 2023.
Walker finds the policies’ changes vague, leaving principals and staff in limbo when instructing educators on what is allowed to be displayed on walls and on desks in the classrooms.
The policy committee met on May 21 to amend Bradford’s suggestion to include “any other nations, post-secondary institutions, school-sponsored events, sponsorships, family photos, student art and/or the approved curriculum.”
The policy’s timing is one that Walker finds suspicious, at best, to be put forth ahead of June and be amended to include so many other considerations. June is known for celebrations of Juneteenth — considered Freedom Day for Black Americans who often celebrate June 19, when slaves were officially informed of their freedom in Texas in 1865 — and Pride.
Josie Barnhart was clear in seconding Bradford’s motion about limiting what’s allowed per displays on May 7: “Our schools don’t need to be a place of activism.”
The school district’s Pride post was up half-an-hour before being removed. A school board member pushed the superintendent to take it down. PCD asked Cardella what board member requested the post to be removed.
“We do not comment on board business,” he responded.
Port City Daily reached out to all board members, but didn’t hear back from anyone else by press.
Kraybill said she wished the board had a chance to discuss the matter together rather than immediately jump to pressure the district to take down the post.
The school board meets at 5 p.m. and can be livestreamed here.
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