PFLAG of Southern Pines, a newly formed LGBTQ+ group, and Public School Advocates (PSA) recently filed an official Title IX complaint against Moore County Schools with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Title IX of the Education Amendments is a federal law against sexual discrimination in schools. Any school receiving federal funding must abide by Title IX.
“Moore County Schools is discriminating by targeting LGBTQ+ content for censorship and removal from instruction, from the classroom and from libraries,” the complaint said. “In doing so, MCS is creating a hostile educational environment. Additionally, MCS has failed to meet its duties under Title IX by not accurately posting the required information, failing to respond to both informal reports and formal complaints of sex discrimination, and failing to recognize that LGBTQ+ students, families, and staff are protected.”
On Aug. 5, 2023, the school board posted the Parents’ Bill of Rights on the board’s website. It allows parents to supervise reading selections, view assessments, make religious exemptions, and view data collection on their children.
On Jan. 16, the board removed books and placed restrictions on others containing LGBTQ+ content. Read details here.
“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher covers a girl with same-sex parents. The board banned it for K-fifth-grade students and made it available for grades nine through 12 with no restrictions. Grades six through eight may view the book with parental permission. The story shows the impact of bullying when a girl dies by suicide.
“The concerns of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the LGBTQ++(Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Queer++) communities are being taken seriously,” School Board Chair Robert Levy wrote in an email to Sandhills Sentinel on May 15. “I cannot comment directly on pending litigation. However, the public should be assured that Moore County Schools is dedicated to the excellent education of all students regardless of their station in life.”
After the board passed the new Parents’ Bill of Rights in 2023, the new chapter of PFLAG, a national organization, formed because, according to Erica Street, president of the Southern Pines PFLAG chapter, October emails to the school superintendent went unanswered, and an anonymous group of educators wanted the banned books replaced.
“Imagine being a teacher and having to remove books with gay parents,” Street said about anonymous LGBTQ+ educators afraid of backlash.
Street said PFLAG wants to force the board to uphold Title IX nondiscrimination laws.
“It is discrimination. This is not a war against teachers or schools. It is against our own district and asking teachers and admin to discriminate for them,” Street said about banning LGBTQ+ books from K-4 grades.
“We received vague answers that deflected blame to principals,” Street said about the board banning books with same-sex parents, transgender characters, and LGBTQ+ content. “My oldest child is transgender, and there is nothing obscene about having two moms or two dads.”
On May 15, the school district released a statement about the filed complaint and “its commitment to equality.”
“Moore County Schools were advised on Tuesday, May 14, by PFLAG Southern Pines that it was filing a Title IX complaint against the District with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR),” said Moore County Schools. “The District has not yet received anything from OCR. The District did receive a copy of the Complaint from PFLAG on Tuesday, May 14.
“Several weeks ago, PFLAG filed a separate complaint with the District, which has been under review. PFLAG was advised in writing on May 2, 2024, that its concerns were being considered, that the complained of guidelines were undergoing legal review, and that the District would be back in touch once that review was completed.
“The Moore County Board of Education adopted Policy 5416: Parents’ Bill of Rights on April 17, 2023. Moore County Schools recognize the equality and rights of all persons and seek to ensure that all students, teachers, administrators, and other school employees respect the dignity, rights, and differing opinions of others.
“Our legal counsel will address the OCR Complaint.”
Street said she reached out to the school board for the Title IX coordinator, and when she made contact, she was told the board was following the law.
Sandhills Sentinel reached out to the board to speak with the Title IX coordinator and received a link to its Title IX webpage. Read it here.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Stephanie is also an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College and Father Vincent Capodanno High School. She is the author of young adult fiction, including When the Yellow Slugs Sing, Sky’s River Stone, and GUTTERSNIPE: Shakespearean Stage Play with Translation.
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