A preschool teacher in a North Carolina public school taught colors to her three and four-year-old students using LGBT flash cards which included a picture of a pregnant man.
The teacher’s actions at Ballentine Elementary School were discovered by State Representative Erin Paré (R-NC) after one of her constituents alerted her.
“Rep. Paré immediately contacted the principal of the elementary school to alert her of this constituent concern and to confirm the use of the flash cards in the classroom,” North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore (R-NC) stated.
“The cards are made by a now-defunct company called ByUs Box, which also made sets of flash cards showcasing non-binary and transgender animals, gender neutral nursery rhymes and a ‘Blackness Collection,’” The Daily Mail reported. “The company was created by two women who said they were inspired by the murder of George Floyd.”
“Last summer, months into the pandemic and days after George Floyd’s murder, we were desperate to transform our feelings into concrete action,” the ByUs Box website states.
“The Black Lives Matter movement was pushing anti-racism conversations further into the spotlight, while pandemic lockdowns meant many people were at home, feeling unsure of what to do,” the website continues. “We quickly moved ahead on an idea we’d already been discussing—a way to bring anti-racism and inclusivity directly into family homes.”
“The principal of the school took swift action to investigate and respond to the information,” Moore reported. “The principal immediately took possession of the cards, contacted the WCPSS area superintendent, and engaged human resources.”
“Schools should only be using age-appropriate materials, and these flashcards clearly do not meet that standard for a pre-school classroom,” Paré asserted. “I hope schools across Wake County and the State of North Carolina will follow the example of Ballentine and respond swiftly when a parent expresses concern and ensure that materials like this are not being used to teach young students.”
The school district released a statement saying:
The district is concerned to learn of the inappropriate instructional resource found in a preschool classroom. In order to help fulfill the educational goals and objectives of the school system, we strive to provide high quality instructional materials that will enrich and support the curriculum and enhance student learning.
An initial review determined that flash cards were not tied to the district’s Pre-K curriculum, did not complement, enrich, or extend the curriculum and were used without the Principal’s review, knowledge, and/or approval.