NC lawmakers may call CHCCS back to Raleigh over ‘The Neurodivergent Teacher’s’ videos
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- House Republican leaders ask probe into CHCCS teacher’s TikTok posts.
- Superintendent says staff reviewed relevant laws with teacher; action possible.
- District policy bars using school role to promote partisan politics; review ongoing.
The story was updated Feb. 26, 2026, with the House committee’s response to Superintendent Rodney Trice’s letter.
A state House committee that recently questioned Chapel Hill-Carrboro school officials over their compliance with state law may call them back to Raleigh for another hearing over what committee leaders called a teacher’s “deeply disturbing” TikTok videos.
House leader Rep. Brenden Jones, co-chair of the House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform, shared a social media post Feb. 12 criticizing teacher McAlister Huynh, an exceptional children’s teacher of third- through fifth-graders at Northside Elementary School.
In one video, Huynh, who calls herself “The Neurodivergent Teacher” on social media, strikes poses in an empty classroom. The caption on the video reads: “Teaching is Political.”
In another video, which stitches together multiple videos, Huynh poses again in an empty classroom. Her T-shirt’s rainbow-colored lettering reads: “no human is illegal,” “we live on stolen land,” “children belong in school,” the government is lying,” and “leave our students alone.”
A comment added to the bottom urges resistance and support for multiple causes, from abolishing ICE to protecting transgender kids, funding public education and listening to scientists.
The stitched video ends with a partial clip from another video in which Huynh says:
“The one way we can help prevent another burst of concerning behaviors for all our students everywhere is speaking out against what is happening in Minnesota, against ICE in our schools and in our communities, causing mass trauma for our entire school system, for our entire community, for all of our students.”
Call for probe into policy, state law violations
The letter to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Rodney Trice, signed by Jones and Republican committee co-chairs, Deputy Majority Whip Jake Johnson and Majority Caucus Joint Liaison Harry Warren, called Huynh’s videos “deeply disturbing” and “unacceptable behavior.”
The letter, posted on Jones’ X account, accuses Huynh of using “social media to promote political activism, undermine enacted state law, and inject personal ideology into matters involving students.”
It calls for an immediate, formal investigation into whether Huynh’s videos violate district policy or state law, measures to ensure students are “not exposed to political or ideological advocacy,” and a written explanation of any corrective action taken.
Otherwise, Trice could be asked to appear at another House committee hearing, the letter says.
“As I am sure you are aware, especially given CHCCS’s recent history regarding compliance, or its lack thereof, with the Parents’ Bill of Rights (“SB49”), any additional violations at the classroom level will only further erode public trust in the district,” the letter says.
Trice and former CHCCS School Board chair George Griffin were interrogated in December about the district’s implementation of key parts of the 2023 Parents’ Bill of Rights law.
In his Feb. 18 response, Trice said personnel matters are not public, but a member of his staff has talked with Huynh “to reiterate our expectations and to specifically review the relevant laws and policies.” Corrective action will be taken if there’s a violation, he said.
Trice also reminded district employees about board policies, including their involvement in political activities, he said.
The district declined to say whether Huynh’s videos were recorded on campus or during school hours. The review is ongoing, district spokesman Andy Jenks said.
The House Committee co-chairs sent another letter Feb. 25 challenging the district’s stance and citing state law that allows them to inspect personnel records. The committee could otherwise subpoena the records or get a court order, the letter states.
“Your previous response only makes us wonder what egregious violations you wish to keep buried in the personnel file of an employee who boasts about indoctrinating young children in inappropriate sexual ideals,” it states.
CHCCS officials have until Wednesday, March 4, to respond.
Who is McAlister Huynh, and were there violations?
Huynh, who has worked for CHCCS since 2021, is a behavior specialist for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a National Board Certified special educator.
She is also co-author of “Listen, Learn, and Grow,” a book about helping children with behavior and to engage in learning, and provides free online resources to other teachers. Her other job is selling accessibility-themed goods on her personal website.
Most of her social media videos offer teaching strategies for working with children with autism and other disabilities. She has continued to post content since the House sent its letter Feb. 12, including from what appears to be a classroom.
None of the content appears to boast “about indoctrinating young children in inappropriate sexual ideals,” but Huynh does advocate for teaching children about body autonomy and consent, human rights, and historically marginalized communities.
In a Feb. 4 video on her Instagram account, Huynh addressed the negative attention, saying roughly 85% of her viewers are now male, compared to 5% to 10% male for a typical video.
The video “has been getting a lot of really mean comments and some of them go beyond mean,” she said. “Some of them are a little bit threatening … including slurs and just like overall kind of aggressive comments.”
The News & Observer reached out to Huynh on Instagram but has not yet received a response.
It’s not clear what state laws Huynh’s videos violate, although some district policies could apply, including that employees “refrain from using school employment and privileges to promote partisan politics, sectarian religious views or propaganda of any kind.”
The policies also require employees to:
- Demonstrate integrity, respect, and commitment to the truth through attitudes, behavior, and communications with others
- Properly use and protect all school properties, equipment and materials
- Not disrupt the school environment or use names, logos or trademarks of the school district or individual schools without permission.
- Conduct themselves in a way that reflects positively on the school system and sets an example for students.
- Not let non-school employment affect their ability to do their job or disrupt the classroom, or use school facilities, equipment or time for a second job without the superintendent’s written permission.
Violating district policies can bring discipline up to and including dismissal, the policy states.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 5:12 PM.
