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Just over two years ago, following a review by our staff, this Board was notified by the Superintendent that there were some inappropriate books in our media centers. As time went on, our leadership group dug deep to find out all we could about these books. Some had been on our shelves nearly 11 years and many have never been checked out. I won’t rehash all that has occurred since that time but suffice it to say that this Board took this task, as we do all tasks, very seriously.

Out of thousands of books in our centers we have removed or temporarily suspended check out on over 30 books. Burke County Public Schools created one of the first, if not the first comprehensive policy addressing this matter by further defining the criteria used by staff and putting parents at the forefront of guiding their own child. Some have complained “why did this take so long”? The law says that books cannot be removed based on viewpoint and we recognized the serious nature of this matter so due diligence was required so that this policy would withstand the test of time. This policy was thoroughly researched, discussed with legal scholars, and we have listened to much input from the public and our teachers. Hopefully our community will get as involved and reject the nastiness on the internet and social media.

Unfortunately during the course of this policy development some very harsh and untrue things have been directed to and publicly said about our teachers. Many of us sitting here tonight are the products of public education. As the son of a public school principal and teacher mother and having directed three schools myself, I well understand the sacrifices our teachers make. I’m not sure what actually happens in other school districts around our state but I can assure you that our teachers do the most wonderful job in teaching our children. I’m in classrooms often and I can bare witness. Our teachers understand that educating our children is a shared duty between parents and teachers. One without the other seldom works. Our teachers need to know that we as parents appreciate and recognize what they do and how well they do it. How can parents support teachers? They can meet regularly with teachers, just reach out. Also, when a teacher reaches out to a parent, call them back!

Finally, I’m a parent too. I, like everyone else, have a choice. We’ve had school choice in North Carolina for decades! This is nothing new. My informed choice is Burke County Public Schools because I simply know they are the best option for my child’s education as it was for our other two children.

Stay tuned, there’s even more greatness coming very soon.