After the removal of a children’s book featuring gay parents, Moore County Schools is facing a Title IX complaint filed by two groups — PFLAG Southern Pines and Public School Advocates. The complaint alleges the school system violated students’ rights by “targeting LGBTQ+ content for censorship and removal from instruction, from the classroom and from libraries, which created a “hostile educational environment.”
“We raise this issue in an effort to protect the LGBTQ+ community, including faculty, students, and their families, from Moore County Schools’ harmful and outright discriminatory policies and guidelines,” said the complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
This is at least the second Title IX complaint of its kind filed against a North Carolina school system. Three LGBTQ+ advocacy groups — Youth OUTright, PFLAG Asheville and Campaign for Southern Equality — filed a federal complaint in December in Buncombe County in response to policies passed to adhere to the state’s new “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
SB 49, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, was passed into law in August, and it censors LGBTQ-related content from school curriculum, as well as forces educators and staff to “out” LGBTQ+ students to parents. Most districts across the state have passed policies to adhere to the new laws, including Moore County.
This past fall, the district advised school administrators to remove books with gay parents and gender-questioning characters in order to comply with SB 49’s requirement of banning “instruction” on sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through fourth grades. The law, however, doesn’t mention public libraries, and it states books should only be removed if they are a part of the curriculum or materials given to K through 4th Grade students.
The complaint from PFLAG Southern Pines and Public School Advocates says Moore County Schools have removed books from school libraries. In addition to this, earlier this year, President Joe Biden’s administration updated Title IX regulations to include discrimination against people for their gender identity or sexual orientation as a part of sex discrimination.
Based on this interpretation, PFLAG spokespeople have stated singling out books with gay parents violates Title IX, as well as far exceeds what is required by North Carolina law. The group is also requesting for a list of the books that have been barred by the district.
“Implementing policies and practices that favor heterosexuality and cisgender identities equates to preferential treatment based on gender identity and sexual orientation, which is prohibited under Title IX,” according to the April complaint from PFLAG and Public School Advocates to the district.
Charlie A. Batchelor III, a spokesperson for the Moore County school system, said the system would work with the Title IX office to handle the complaint.
“Moore County Schools recognizes the equality and rights of all persons and seeks to ensure that all students, teachers, administrators, and other school employees respect the dignity, rights and differing opinions of others,” Batchelor said.