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New Hanover County Schools board directs superintendent to begin compliance work after federal civil‑rights letter; debates strategic plan and family‑life currc
Summary
The New Hanover County Schools Board of Education voted 5 to 2 to direct the superintendent to begin steps to comply with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, triggering a review of the district strategic plan, policies and family‑life curriculum.
The New Hanover County Schools Board of Education voted 5 to 2 to direct Superintendent Dr. Barnes to begin steps to bring district policies, procedures and its strategic plan into alignment with a recent communication from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Board members said the OCR communication and related federal guidance require review because federal funding streams are tied to civil‑rights compliance. Superintendent Dr. Barnes told the board he had distributed the OCR letter and guidance from the North Carolina School Board Association, the Association of School Administrators and the state superintendent and said he wanted board input because the strategic plan is the board’s roadmap for district priorities.
The vote followed extended public and board discussion about the legal risk of losing federal grant funding and the practical effect on roughly 350 positions paid with some federal funds; board members and counsel cautioned that large, congressionally‑mandated streams such as Title I and IDEA are not automatically rescinded but that other federal grants have been reduced in some districts. Counsel advised the board that a careful, policy‑by‑policy review is the prudent course to avoid jeopardizing funding.
The board also approved an amendment, 5 to 2, directing the district to prioritize revising the strategic plan sections flagged by the OCR guidance. Separately, after further discussion and an amendment to preserve instructional continuity, the board approved a 6 to 1 vote directing staff and counsel to review the family‑life curricula and to retain the district’s Stepping Stones curriculum while staff work with attorneys to identify specific lessons that might need revision to comply with OCR guidance.
Board members repeatedly asked for legal advice about which parts of district policy are subject to the OCR letter; board counsel said there is no single roadmap in the law and recommended targeted policy revisions to avoid losing federal funding. Multiple members urged careful, deliberate work rather than hasty changes.
Because motions and amendments overlapped and members raised points of order about required public notice for policy votes, the board later moved the remaining curriculum vote to a special meeting next Tuesday to give staff and counsel additional time; that procedural motion to reschedule passed 7 to 0.
Why it matters: The board’s actions start a process that could change the language of the district’s strategic plan and some policies and procedures. Board members said the work is intended to preserve federal funding while minimizing disruption for students and staff.
What happens next: The superintendent and legal counsel will review district policies, the strategic plan and the family‑life curricula and report back to the board at a follow‑up session scheduled for next Tuesday. The board directed staff to prioritize items that the OCR letter identified and to return recommended changes for board review.
