
North Carolina Republicans have starved public schools for over a decade, state Democrats said last week, creating a mess of widespread staff shortages and limited resources.
Though Democrats have introduced more than 230 bills since 2011 to solve these problems, Rep. Julie von Haefen said in a news conference on Wednesday, Republicans blocked, buried, or voted against them all.
“This is my sixth year in the General Assembly and honestly what I’ve seen here in my time in the legislature is a failure to take care of the children of the state,” von Haefen said.
Republicans last year also diverted money from the public school system into private school vouchers and passed the Parents Bill of Rights, which, among other things, could force teachers to out LGBTQ students to their parents.
So Democrats introduced the Children’s Bill of Rights last week.
“Last year we passed a bill called the Parents’ Bill of Rights, but we seem to have forgotten the children. We heard kids first, but kids are being placed last behind the interests of corporations and the wealthy.”
The Children’s Bill of Rights says: Your child has the right to:
⭐High-quality childcare and early childhood education
⭐An inclusive and accountable public school
⭐A safe and healthy learning environment
⭐An excellent teacher
⭐A supportive principal
⭐Ample resources for their school
⭐Access to mental health services and fair discipline
⭐Nutritious breakfast and lunch
⭐Fair testing
⭐Training for education and work opportunities
View this post on Instagram
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for North Carolinians and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at Cardinal & Pine has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of North Carolina families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
Video: A North Carolina man talks about voting after prison
Cardinal & Pine spoke with Gregory Singleton, a formerly incarcerated resident of Rocky Mount, talks about voting after prison. NC law doesn't...
Billy Ball Explains NC: College students vs. Republicans
College students in North Carolina are fighting back. They’ve filed a lawsuit against a Republican plan to deny polling places at three NC college...
Billy Ball Explains NC: The failure of NC’s ‘recovery czar,’ Michael Whatley
In the new Billy Ball Explains NC, here's why Helene relief—or the lack thereof—could play a BIG part in this year's Senate race between Michael...
Billy Ball Explains NC: The failure of NC’s ‘recovery czar,’ Michael Whatley
In the new Billy Ball Explains NC, here's why Helene relief—or the lack thereof—could play a BIG part in this year's Senate race between Michael...
Video: US Sen. Thom Tillis says Kristi Noem ‘should be out of a job’
US Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired recently over her handling of the fatal...
