NC Republicans Propose Bill to Ban Elementary Books, Withhold School Pay
House Republicans target elementary school libraries with new bill allowing state to withhold school district salaries for violating parental rights laws.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — House Republicans introduced legislation Thursday to ban certain books from elementary school libraries and authorize the state to withhold salaries from school district leaders who violate North Carolina’s “Parents’ Bill of Rights” law.
This measure follows Republican lawmakers’ oversight of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District, which they claim has disregarded state law.
New Penalties and Expanded Restrictions
House Majority Leader Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) announced House Bill 1043 during a legislative oversight hearing. The bill, titled the Curriculum Honesty, Compliance, and Child Safety Act, shares the initials “CHCCS” with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
“I introduced House Bill 1043 in response to what he called the district’s ‘blatant disregard for state law,'” Jones said on X.
The legislation would authorize the state auditor and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to investigate school districts and impose penalties for noncompliance with the 2023 Parents’ Bill of Rights law. Penalties could include fines and withholding central office salaries and state funds until violations are corrected.
Library Materials Under New Scrutiny
A key provision of H1043 would expand the definition of “curriculum” to include library materials not used in classroom instruction. The bill defines these as “electronic, print or non-print resources for independent use.”
This change would bring library collections under existing state restrictions on instruction in kindergarten through fourth grade, subjecting elementary school library books to the same standards as classroom materials.
During the hearing, CHCCS Superintendent Rodney Trice appeared alongside Al McArthur, the district’s director of digital learning and libraries. They defended their practices, arguing that school library books are optional reading rather than instructional material.
Democratic Opposition
House Democrats criticized the Republican initiative as a distraction from more pressing state issues. They said Republicans are trying to divert voter attention from their failure to address the lack of a state budget and North Carolina’s rising cost of living.
The oversight hearing marked another chapter in the ongoing dispute between state Republican leaders and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro district. Thursday’s session was less dramatic than a December hearing where Jones, who chairs the oversight committee, threw a book from a CHCCS school library on the floor, calling it “trash.”
The bill represents an escalation in Republican efforts to enforce compliance with parental rights legislation, introducing financial penalties that could directly impact school district operations and personnel compensation.
