My family recently won an important ruling from the North Carolina Supreme Court allowing our lawsuit against Charlotte Latin School and certain school officials and board members to proceed.
Read more America’s cancer breakthroughs need an open market
The ruling was not a final decision on the merits. But it gives us the opportunity to pursue our claims arising from what happened to our family in 2021, at the height of the country’s battles over cancel culture, “anti-racism” programs, and political ideology in schools.
At its core, our case raises a question that should concern every parent with a child in a private school: Can a school expel your children simply because you respectfully ask questions about what they are being taught or how they are being treated?
Charlotte Latin and its allies have argued for extraordinarily broad discretion by private schools. Taken to its logical conclusion, that position could leave parents facing an impossible choice: remain silent about something they believe is inappropriate, unsafe, or harmful—or risk having their children removed from school.
That is dangerous. Parents should not have to wonder whether reporting mistreatment, questioning classroom material, or raising a health or safety concern could result in retaliation against their children.
Our lawsuit is not about telling private schools what curriculum they must teach. Private schools have considerable freedom to establish their own educational missions. This case is about accountability.
In 2021, a group of Charlotte Latin parents organized under the name Refocus Latin, and began raising questions about changes we believed were occurring at the school. Among the materials parents brought to the school board’s attention were disturbing images and content, including depictions of Jesus with his throat cut alongside the words “God is Dead,” burning Bibles, pigs portrayed as police officers with their throats slashed, and a gay sex manual in the library.
We presented our concerns to the board. The board chair thanked us for the presentation, assured us there would be no retaliation, and instructed us to continue bringing concerns to school administrators.
Then things changed. Approximately one week later, Head of School Chuck Baldecchi criticized our group during a video conference.
Soon afterward, our then-11-year-old son came to us with concerns about what was happening in his classroom. He told us he had been denied permission to use the bathroom and get water. He also described political discussions that, in his view, portrayed Republicans as white supremacists and made him feel that something was wrong with him because he was white.
Read more Canada just told the world food is a weapon
Like parents are supposed to do, we asked questions. We requested a conversation with the head of the middle school. Instead, we were asked to attend a meeting with school leadership and were given an explicit written assurance of “no blowback.”
Our children were expelled at that meeting.
The broader issue goes far beyond one family or one school. What happens when a parent discovers something truly dangerous? What happens when a child says he or she is being mistreated? What happens when a parent questions a teacher, administrator, coach, or school policy?
If parents believe that speaking up could cost their children their education and separate them from their friends overnight, many will simply stay silent. That is precisely why basic protections matter.
Following what happened to our family, we founded the nonprofit Coalition For Liberty to push back against the scourge of cancel culture. Our personal lawsuit against Charlotte Latin is our own case; the larger principle, however, affects families across North Carolina and beyond.
Private education should not mean that parents surrender every right at the schoolhouse door. North Carolina lawmakers should examine whether additional protections are needed to ensure that children cannot be arbitrarily punished because their parents raise legitimate concerns, particularly when schools have promised families that concerns may be raised without retaliation.
Schools should welcome responsible parental involvement, not fear it. Parents should be able to ask questions. Children should not become leverage in disagreements between adults. No mother or father should have to choose between remaining silent and protecting a child.
That principle transcends politics. It is simply a matter of parental rights, fairness, and accountability.
The full story, supporting materials, and video are available at HonorAboveAll.org.
Doug Turpin is CEO of Coalition For Liberty, a nonprofit that advocates for free speech, parental involvement, and educational accountability.
Read more The rhetoric of September 10 and September 11
Image generated by ChatGPT.