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Parents Kicked Out Of North Carolina School Board Meeting

Parents Kicked Out Of North Carolina School Board Meeting

“At the direction of the Orange County Public Schools board of education chair, parents and members of the public were ejected from the Oct. 11 board meeting by Orange County sheriffs’ deputies.”

In a meeting of the Orange County, North Carolina Public Schools (OCPS), board chair Hillary Mackenzie repeatedly directed sheriff’s deputies to remove parents who spoke against a resolution supporting Black Lives Matter (BLM) and committing to anti-racism. The meeting, which took place October 11, became heated as Mackenzie, in apparent violation of OCPS policy, had speakers removed if they spoke in opposition to the resolution.

Parents and community members gathered in front of the school where the meeting took place to publicly protest. Additionally, many folks signed up to make comments during the public comment portion of the meeting agenda. State and local school board officials, as well as the county sheriff, cited the presence of the Proud Boys as justification for the removals. Calling the protesters white supremacists, they said the speech used in public comments amounted to violence, justifying their removal.

The North State Journal reported:

At the direction of the Orange County Public Schools board of education chair, parents and members of the public were ejected from the Oct. 11 board meeting by Orange County sheriffs’ deputies.

The reason? Apparently speaking about concerns and topics that were not on the meeting agenda.

Attendees were also subjected to metal detectors and told they could not congregate on the premises of A.L. Stanback Middle School where the meeting was being held.

Several times during the meeting, Mackenzie was heard to say, “you cannot talk on that topic,” before motioning for deputies to remove the person. Loud booing throughout the auditorium followed.

Orange County schools’ policy manual does not include language dictating what a speaker can or can’t talk about beyond barring discussion of personal information, student information or addressing a specific board member with a grievance. [emphasis added]

The more Mackenzie told speakers, “If you don’t speak about agenda items you will be asked to leave,” the louder the protests in the meeting room got. This caused Mackenzie to crack down even harder. Again, from the North State Journal:

Following additional yelling and gavel banging, another individual attempted to address curriculum, but the moment he uttered the words “racist behavior” Mackenzie intervened, saying she could “not let you speak on that,” while sending deputies to intercept him and walk him out.

Even when speakers attempted to address an item on the agenda, a resolution to “address harm caused to students by incidents of hostile and racist behavior,” Mackenzie gaveled them out of order and still had them escorted out by law enforcement.

The agenda listed Item II(G) which reads, “Public Comment  [AGENDA ITEMS ONLY].” As of this writing, the video of the meeting has not yet been uploaded to the district’s YouTube page.

The Resolution to Address Harm Caused to Students by Incidents of Hostile and Racist Behavior begins:

WHEREAS, at recent Orange County Schools’ events and meetings of the Board of Education, there has a been a growing presence of white nationalist displays and intimidating behavior, including bigoted, misogynistic, racist, homophobic and transphobic language; and,

WHEREAS, the Orange County Schools community has been confronted with a planned and concerted effort to bully and intimidate students and their families, staff and board members, Black and Brown members of the community, and the LGBTQ+ community; and,

WHEREAS, emotional and psychological harm has been caused by this presence and collective behavior, harm which has been deepened by White people standing by and applauding, failing to intervene, or even failing to name the racist, bigoted, and threatening behavior;

It goes on for eleven more whereases, finally resolving:

RESOLVED, that the Orange County Schools Board of Education stands united against all forms of white nationalism and white supremacy; be it further

RESOLVED that the Orange County Schools Board of Education recognizes the phrase Black Lives Matter as an affirmation of the inherent value of the lives of our Black students, staff, and community members; be it further

RESOLVED that the district will create a detailed action and communication plan for future incidents involving hate groups in the OCS community, including a text alert system, as requested by students; be it further

RESOLVED that the district will make students and staff aware of counseling services available to them following events where they are targeted by hate groups, as requested by students; be it further

RESOLVED that OCS will provide ongoing education to staff members and students on how to recognize extremist symbols and tactics and what to do when they are recognized; be it further

RESOLVED that Orange County Schools will continue to have open and honest dialogue about how to best address the threat to student and staff safety when there is a presence of hate groups on property adjacent to or on school campuses; be it further

RESOLVED that the board stands in solidarity with our Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ students, staff and community members and will continue to name harm and stand against hate in our community.

Even when parents and community members attempted to address the offensive language of this resolution, the chair refused to let them continue, and had them escorted out by sheriff’s deputies. No proof of the claims in the resolution, such as “rising white supremacy,” was required; it has now become pubic record, a reference point for future unfounded claims that white nationalism runs rampant in America’s institutions.

Those deputies provided security at the request of the Board, following a previous meeting and protest in September in which parents protested mask mandates in schools and at sporting events. Chair Mackenzie again led the allegations of violence, according to reports:

“We have received some threatening language in public comment at meetings. I think some board members are definitely facing that through email and phone calls, and on social media as well.”

The board has increased security at meetings and is considering installing a metal detector, she said. MacKenzie said science will guide the board’s decision about mask-wearing. Still, she said board members have notified the sheriff’s office more than once. She confirmed board members have received death threats.

In anticipation of the October 11 meeting, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood, a registered Democrat, posted on Facebook about his intentions to contain the planned protest:

It now appears more demonstrations are being planned, including one for tonight outside the Board of Education meeting at A.L. Stanback. If protesters assemble, they must gather off school grounds so as not to disrupt the business of the Board. The schools have once again hired off duty deputies to protect public safety, avoid disruption of the meeting, and maintain the free flow of traffic.
Although I support people’s right to protest and demonstrate, I personally do not believe standing in the streets hurling hateful and intimidating insults at one another is a productive way to solve our issues. I submit civil dialogue is a better model to present to students who learn best by example. If adults can identify the issues, seek reasonable solutions, and communicate in a way that does not threaten public safety, we might actually get somewhere.
Note, again, the unsubstantiated allegations of threats to public safety from demonstrators and members of the public wishing to participate in the public meeting process. Between Hillary Mackenzie and Charles Blackwood, it almost seems as if a coordinated effort has emerged to paint certain segments of the population as violent extremists, while actual violent extremists seem to get a free pass. Of course, in June 2020, Sheriff Blackwood made a joint statement with chiefs of police in his county denouncing what he called “systemic racism” in America:
https://www.facebook.com/ocsonc/videos/314983166164061/
It remains to be seen whether public participation in future board actions will be allowed, and to what level. Given it’s full-throated support for such CRT-based concepts as equity and collective responsibility, as contained in its Equity Framework and Goals document, it seems likely the political bias will continue at OCPS.

The Orange County Public Schools Equity Framework.

—————

Jeff Reynolds is the author of the book, “Behind the Curtain: Inside the Network of Progressive Billionaires and Their Campaign to Undermine Democracy,” available at www.WhoOwnsTheDems.com. Jeff hosts a podcast at anchor.fm/BehindTheCurtain. You can follow him on Twitter @ChargerJeff, on Parler at @RealJeffReynolds, and on Gab at @RealJeffReynolds.

 

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Comments

Parents: vote these idiots OUT. Initiate recalls if lawful.

    I was at a county political meeting recently when candidates running for local office were given 30 seconds to introduce themselves and make a brief statement. One candidate for school board said,

    “I am Bob Smith and I have never run for anything in my life, before. Why am I doing this?”
    “Well,” he shrugged. “Just look around. Somebody has to do it.”

The fact that LEOs are now acting as storm troopers and sponsors for this puts us in another dimension.

I kept reading this wondering what facts are being omitted. But that fact is, the majority of voters in this area subscribe to what is being done. School boards are often run like condo associations with little tin pot karen dictators drunk on an ounce of power. I’ve come to realize they usually reflect the voters… and have no interest in serving kids.

The school board is almost certainly in violation of the State’s Open Meeting Laws. The members of the community can’t simply be expelled for going off the script. To do so is to violate their right to peacefully assemble and petition for redress.

If the crowd was unruly or loud or boisterous tough noogies, that isn’t violence. Speech is never violence. The Board better have it’s insurance policies paid up, they are about to get sued for civil rights violations. It is ironic that the Board would use LEO to expel folks for behavior that is considerably more mild than that displayed routinely by BLM, which was the topic on the agenda.

Sending a child to a public school is about the same as hiring a known pedophile to babysit. A least they aren’t raping them here yet like Laudon County, VA.

    Forcible, implied, molestation and sodomy of an underage girl… girl-girl. But was it rape-rape?

    Or every child left behind as in Atlanta, Georgia. How urbane. Some, Select [Black] Minds Matter

So the Sheriff is allowing his off-duty deputies to be the school board’s Rent-A-Stormtroopers, right? He might want to reinforce the 1st Amendment training the deputies should have gotten at cop kindergarten regarding protected free speech. Off-duty or not, their actions reflect on his department.

    Dathurtz in reply to Idonttweet. | October 13, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    Bet ya he supports it.

    gatorbait in reply to Idonttweet. | October 14, 2021 at 7:46 am

    Law Enforcement is cocked to the “Enforcement” position by their choice of profession. These are the people some think will refuse to stomp on citizens’ rights in many other situations. I gave up long ago hoping for if the SHTF they might side with and be a voice of reason.. No trust. No trust at all. Too many examples of Pavlovian Response to believe otherwise. Same for the Guard. And I say both with a heavy heart — wasn’t always that way, or at least I’d like to think so.

      The Friendly Grizzly in reply to gatorbait. | October 14, 2021 at 9:21 am

      It was the police that herded the Slavic’s, the Polish, a halt and lame, homosexuals, juice, and other undesirables end of the trucks.

      Remember that is only some of the officers in some of the places. Don’t write off every cop as a stormtrooper because some of them will violate your rights. That sort of tarring is inimical to critical thinking.

        Barry in reply to GWB. | October 15, 2021 at 12:53 am

        It’s an almost sure bet that if it’s city cops they are almost all “stormtroopers”.

        Elected sheriff’s are usually a different story. But this is Orange County. Communist county would be a better name.

This school board is clearly interested in suppressing dissent at all costs to advance Marxist doctrines such as espoused by BLM

So what this says is the school board had no arguments or good reasons to implement this bullshit. That’s when you have to silence your detractors, when you have no argument.

“Calling the protesters white supremacists, they said the speech used in public comments amounted to violence, justifying their removal.”

Arson, looting, assaults = “mostly peaceful.”
First-Amendment-protected speect =”violence.”

Now that I understand the rules, I’ll be cleaning and oiling my Peacemaker.

The predictable rotten fruits of vile, lawless and despicable AG Garland’s memo — the obnoxious, infantile, spite-filled, and brazenly totalitarian Dhimmi-crat apparatchiks are now emboldened to act even more obnoxious, infantile, spite-filled and totalitarian, than usual.

Good citizens have abandoned these “low level” public offices, such as School Boards, Library Boards, etc., to the leftists. This is the result.

    DaveGinOly in reply to TX-rifraph. | October 14, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    Remember the “good ole days”, not long ago, when parents were encouraged to attend school board meetings?

    The problem is that way too many of the electorate turned away from all politics over the decades, often leaving it behind as “corrupt” and such, and in the end leaving it to those who desired the power. And then, relying on political “saviors” to get them out of the jams that produces.

    You have to get involved and get your fellow citizens back on track.

Another school system that needs to be shut down altogether. There is no other solution for organizations that are this far gone.

Two choices…..stand your ground and fight or withdraw and abandon.
I say withdraw, let them burn it some more.
School boards will look a lot different after they do themselves in.

Sue their asses off. You have rights as tax paying citizens. Though this comes as no surprise from Orange County. It’s been a liberal squat for decades. The Marxist pigs are just getting bolder.

“In a meeting of the Orange County, North Carolina Public Schools (OCPS), board chair Hillary Mackenzie repeatedly directed sheriff’s deputies to remove parents …”

Time for the parents to remove the board by recall or vote.
Protest every board meeting.
Loudly. Take back your government from the authoritarian thugs.
They (are supposed to) serve you.

barbiegirl ny | October 14, 2021 at 8:28 am

Why the hell don’t parents take their kids out of school nationwide? If teachers can go on strike, students should be able to do the same. I know it would be a hardship for many parents, but if you think it’s hard now, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Anything worth fighting for always comes with pain. Suffer now, or pay for it in ways you could never imagine later.

    DaveGinOly in reply to barbiegirl ny. | October 14, 2021 at 12:57 pm

    I have long found the confluence of “women’s liberation” and and the need for both parents to work (due to the destruction of the monetary system through the hidden tax of inflation) very suspicious. Women’s lib told women to go into the workforce at exactly the same time it was becoming necessary, obscuring the reality of the necessity and making people think women were entering the workforce voluntarily (as most believed they were). Now that in most two-parent households both parents are working, they are no longer able to homeschool their own children, and, due to ongoing erosion of the dollar, most can’t afford private schools.

    As an aside, I also find it suspicious that the states managed to put their grubby hands into the wallets of online retailers, to extract sales taxes from online sales, just in time to shut down “non-essential” brick-and-mortar retailers during the pandemic without disrupting the flow of money into their coffers. Coincidence that the states managed to secure the collection sales taxes from online retailers just before they ruined small businesses?

      Two-income households can homeschool, though it takes some creativity.

      As to women in the workforce – most of the issue came with the prosperity from two-income households. The change in lifestyle from pre-WW2 to post-WW2 was significant, and it easily ensnared Americans into believing the new lower bounds had to be the lower bounds. (And then those new lower bounds crept up each decade with gains in income and productivity.) Who is willing to give up their second car in order to have one parent at home all the time?

      gibbie in reply to DaveGinOly. | October 14, 2021 at 7:08 pm

      Bingo. Women were scammed.

      https://time.com/4068559/gallup-poll-stay-at-home-mothers/

      Also, see (believe it or not) Elizabeth Warren’s book, “The Two-Income Trap” does an excellent job of describing how housing competition in “good” school districts can lead to bankruptcy in two-income families. She doesn’t talk about that much any more.

      https://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-Still/dp/0465097707/

    This is really a “parent problem” and a “church problem”.

    Malachi 4:5-6.
    5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

    Chicklet in reply to barbiegirl ny. | October 14, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    There are plenty of retired folks around, plenty of newly “work from home” folks who’d be happy to teach your kids. If we only had a “social network” where like minded folks could communicate….

    Doc-Wahala in reply to barbiegirl ny. | October 15, 2021 at 10:14 am

    You actually are on to something.

    Today parents are organizing to confront their school boards. Some groups have already started reaching to other groups with same mission. Imagine if they picked one day on the calendar, to be a three day “parent-strike”, one where the parents decide they are NOT sending their kids to school for those three days, it would send a message.

    Do it once, catch the attention of the board as well as the general public. Pretty sure doing it a second time would include parents who only became aware of “parent-strike” when it first occurred.

    We know “sick strikes” and “blue flu” mean… time to have a strike that shows “power of the parent” strike.

“RESOLVED that the board stands in solidarity with our Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ students, staff and community members and will continue to name harm and stand against hate in our community.”

Unless you’re white: You’re fair game for Hate.

    Ben Kent in reply to venril. | October 14, 2021 at 8:54 am

    The groups that are conspicuously absent from the list are White, Asian and hetero people. Implying that such people are not against hate of others and are therefore fair targets of hate. BLM propaganda.

    This is divisive and deceptive. Everyone with half-a-brain can see it.

    Dr.Dave in reply to venril. | October 14, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    I live in the area. Orange county has some extremely woke cities.