CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students go back to class in two weeks, and school leaders said they’ll be working down to the wire.
They’re making sure policies are in line if the state legislature overrides a veto this week implementing a new “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
“We are scrambling to comply,” said Charles Jeter, the public affairs director at CMS.
Jeter told Channel 9′s Dan Matics there are other issues they’d rather be focusing on, but he said his staff is working around the clock to make sure CMS is up to code with the proposed bill.
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Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the bill, but the Republican-led super majority is expected to vote to override that veto on Wednesday. It would require districts to alert parents if students want to be called by a different name or pronoun.
“My name is Charles, if people call me Charlie there is no requirement the parent be told right now,” Jeter said. “Under this bill, there would be a requirement that the parent would be told.”
Shenna, who didn’t want to share her last name, told Matics she has a trans daughter and said while she’s supportive of her, other parents may not be. She worries this could hurt trans and gay kids.
“Putting restrictions on it like this it sends a message to the kids and the school that it’s something that maybe people should think about discriminating against, or that it’s wrong, that’s the message it sends,” she said.
State Sen. Amy Galey sponsored the bill and told Channel 9 earlier this year it gives parents more oversight.
“Relationships between students and teachers are not confidential, and they should not be taught these things,” she said then. “It blows my mind this is controversial.”
Though it may be controversial, CMS said they are committed to making sure they follow the law.
The law also bans instruction about gender identity and sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grade, unless a student initiates a question. CMS said elementary school classrooms don’t typically cover those topics anyway.
(WATCH BELOW: NC governor vetoes trio of LGBTQ+ restrictions in ongoing fight with GOP supermajority)
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