Wake School board member defends used of LGBT cards in Pre-K classroom
When it comes to parents rights, board member Jim Martin said the quiet part out loud
At a June 7 meeting, Wake County Public Schools Board of Education member Jim Martin defended a pre-school teacher who resigned after LGBT-themed flashcards were confiscated from her classroom.
Martin insisted nothing was wrong with the flashcards, one of which featured a pregnant man, that the teacher used with children as young as four.
At the start of his comments, Martin spoke about school security and the Uvalde shooting and insinuated there was not enough of an investment in those measures as well as mental health supports, but then transitioned into defending the flashcards.
"But no, instead we had a distraction we had this uproar about some flash cards they were supporting diverse families!” Martin said. “I've looked at those flash cards there's nothing inappropriate in them.”
Martin then claimed the cards were “part of the curriculum” despite the district issuing a statement to the contrary. He also stated the cards were “valuable to some families probably.”
“From everything I've heard - and I don't know the personnel details - but this was a highly regarded teacher who got bullied and harassed over flashcards,” said Martin, who was almost yelling. “If your life and existence are so fragile that flashcards are going to socially engineer a child, I'm sorry - What we did is make it more likely for people to leave the classroom."
He then complained “we didn't need that blown up to be a nationalized politicized thing” and remarked, “we need to respect diversity, we need to respect our families, and if there is an issue let's take care of it, not blow it up to a national political issue.”
Martin also lashed out at the Parents’ Bill of Rights (House Bill 755) moving through the state legislature as a “distraction.”
“Although, we have to have this distraction called this parental bill of rights,” Martin ranted. “I tried to read that bill… I've read a lot; a variety of legislation. And I'm sorry, but most of what I see is a bunch of word-salad with hot-button issues.”
Wake County’s school board has seen regular protests by parents since mid-2020 on topics ranging from masks to curriculum and inappropriate books. Complaints have been consistent, including that the board members do not listen to their constituents.
Martin then said the quiet part out loud.
“This isn't a parental bill of rights this is a desire for parental control… control of their children,” Martin said. “I look through a lot of the vocabulary in that thing and I see parents calling for control in ways that they themselves would not want their parents to have controlled their life.”
“We need parental engagement in education, yes,” said Martin. “We don’t need parental control of education.”
He then went on to assert children are not to be “controlled,” but instead they are “people to be engaged with.”
Most of his remarks were captured in a clip posted to Twitter:
Martin, who has represented District 5 since 2011, has stated he will not be seeking re-election to the school board along with the other eight seats on the ballot this year.
Martin’s full set of remarks can be viewed below, beginning around the 50 minute mark of the meeting: