North Carolina father says critics told his family to homeschool over trans teacher dispute
A father of three at Middle Creek Elementary School in Wake County, North Carolina, told the school board that critics have responded to parents' objections to a transgender music teacher by suggesting they homeschool or attend private school. The board meeting was sharply divided over whether accommodating those families protects parental rights or discriminates against the teacher.
A father of three children at a North Carolina elementary school says critics have responded to his family's objections to a transgender music teacher by telling them to leave the public school system. Aaron Driver, a member of Middle Creek Parental Rights, made the remarks during a heated Wake County Board of Education meeting Tuesday, where speakers were sharply divided over the dispute at Middle Creek Elementary School.
Parents at the school have been fighting for the ability to keep their children in public school while opting them out of a music class taught by a transgender teacher. They say they were not given advance notice about the teacher and want an alternative for children whose families object on religious or personal grounds. Parents speaking before the board this week said children have come home «upset, confused and uncomfortable,» while others said requests for alternatives have been ignored or dismissed.
«Here's what our detractors are telling us,» Driver told the board. «You don't support school hiring a trans teacher. Maybe public school isn't for you or your family. Maybe homeschool. Maybe private school.» He continued: «That's right. Maybe pay taxes into the school system and then pay again to escape from it.» Driver said parents «shouldn't have to pass an ideological test to participate in public education.»
The controversy spilled into a sharply divided meeting, where one speaker argued that religious and conscientious exemptions effectively amount to parents demanding that their children not encounter people they dislike. Others said families should not have to leave the public-school system to avoid a class they object to. Later in the meeting, another public commenter, Katrina Day, offered a striking response from the other side of the fight, proposing a free homeschooling curriculum because it would «keep the bigots away from my grandchildren.» She also suggested the district «relocate the children of bigots if needed» or «expel the children of bigots if needed.»
The fight at Middle Creek has been building for weeks. State Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake, publicly raised concerns in late July after hearing from parents about the possibility of a transgender teacher at their southern Wake County elementary school, floating the possibility of a state law requiring sex-based professional attire for public-school employees, according to WRAL. Parents opposed to the arrangement have framed their objections as a request for advance notice and alternatives rather than a personal attack on the teacher.
During Tuesday's meeting, one speaker said parents should receive «advanced notice and the option to opt out» when a teacher's presentation conflicts with their religious or personal beliefs. Another said families had requested alternatives and called on the board to «provide reasonable alternatives to families who object.» The district has not announced any change to its policy regarding the teacher or the music class.
