New Hanover board keeps ‘Stepping Stones’ core, removes four lessons and preserves opt‑in for family life instruction

At its March regular meeting the New Hanover County Board of Education approved a staff recommendation to combine sex‑education offerings into a single Family Life program, remove four lessons addressing gender roles and LGBTQ topics, and retain an opt‑in enrollment process for middle‑school students.

The action, moved by board member Pat Bradford and approved in a 5‑2 roll call, implements the change now rather than waiting for the next school year and asks the policy committee to review a packet of suggested policy edits from the North Carolina School Boards Association.

The vote follows weeks of public comment and staff review prompted by state and federal guidance on curriculum content. “We believe that there is value in the Stepping Stones program,” Superintendent Dr. Barnes told the board during the meeting as staff laid out their recommendations.

Why it matters: The board’s decision alters district classroom materials for grades 6–8 and responds to concerns raised in public testimony and guidance documents. Supporters of the Stepping Stones curriculum had urged the board to keep the program’s comprehensive content; opponents sought narrower, abstinence‑forward instruction or removal of certain lessons.

What the board approved: Staff had proposed consolidating the district’s two family life programs into a single program called Family Life, keeping fifth‑grade “Growth and Changes” instruction unchanged and making changes to middle‑school content. The board’s action adopts that consolidation but with specific changes requested by trustees: (1) remove four lessons now identified by staff as not required by state standards, (2) continue to require parental opt‑in for family life instruction rather than switching to opt‑out, and (3) move forward immediately with implementation and send policy suggestions from the North Carolina School Boards Association to the policy committee for review.

Which lessons were removed: Staff identified the four lessons to be removed as sixth‑grade lesson 6‑3 (gender roles), seventh‑grade lessons 7‑3 (gender roles) and 7‑4 (LGBTQ+), and eighth‑grade lesson 2 (LGBTQ+). District staff said those four lessons are not required by North Carolina state standards nor by the statutes cited in the guidance they reviewed.

Public comment: Dozens of residents and educators spoke before the vote. Parent Elizabeth Nageli said parents want medically accurate, comprehensive information and urged trustees to “Please keep Stepping Stones as is.” Other speakers cited concerns ranging from parental choice and religious belief to student safety and public‑health outcomes.

Board reaction and next steps: Vice Chair Josie Barnhart and other trustees said the motion tries to balance parental concerns, legal risk and curricular continuity. Board member Pat Bradford made the motion to adopt staff recommendations with the board’s changes; the motion passed on a roll call vote that recorded Melissa Mason (yes), Josie Barnhart (yes), Pat Bradford (yes), Judy Justice (no), Dr. Tim Merrick (no), David Perry (yes), and Pete Willebore (yes).

Implementation: The board directed staff to proceed with the consolidated Family Life program under the opt‑in model and to bring policy edits recommended by the state school boards association to the policy committee for review. District staff said selected changes would be made now and that detailed materials and school‑level implementation plans would be distributed to families and principals.

The board’s action comes amid continued district conversation about state guidance and a separate discussion earlier in the meeting about a PowerSchool/DPI data issue; trustees said they will continue to weigh legal guidance, parent input and state law as they finalize instructional materials.