House lawmakers demand Chapel Hill-Carrboro chief answer for LGBTQ library books
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- Committee wants CHCCS superintendent and staff to testify about 155 elementary books.
- The 2023 law bans K-4 gender and sexuality lessons and tells parents about name changes.
- Jones has threatened steps to enforce the law, including at other school districts.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Rodney Trice will return to Raleigh next week to answer lawmakers’ questions about books on gender and sexuality in elementary school libraries.
The House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to Trice on April 2 signed by its Republican co-chairs: House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, Deputy Majority Whip Jake Johnson and Majority Caucus Joint Liaison Harry Warren.
The letter, which was also sent to Al McArthur, the district’s director of digital learning and library services, included a list of 155 books that it said directly conflicted with the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
The law, enacted in 2023, regulates how parents can stay informed and involved in their child’s health and education. It requires staff to notify parents before changing a student’s name or pronoun in the classroom or in school records and also bans instruction about gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Jones, a Republican from Tabor City, said in a series of X (formerly Twitter) social-media posts in late March that his staff had reviewed elementary school library catalogues posted online to find books addressing topics of gender and sexuality.
Similar books have been found in school districts statewide, Jones said Monday in an email to The News & Observer. He did not identify those districts but said they also will be held responsible.
How do the books violate state law?
The library books violate state law, because they support the CHCCS school curriculum, the letter says.
Jones, when asked how he would respond to district parents who find the books useful in talking with their children, said they are “more than welcome to discuss any issues they please with their child.”
“Nothing in the Parents’ Bill of Rights, nor any of the proposed enhancements, would prohibit how a parent chooses to introduce or discuss any issue with their child, including purchasing any book they see fit,” Jones said. “CHCCS is intentionally misrepresenting the Parents’ Bill of Rights to push this filth, which is a slap in the face of every parent in their district.”
He has previously threatened to withhold funding if the district does not comply with state law.
House Rep. Allen Buansi, a Democrat from Chapel Hill, pointed out after the December hearing that any budget cuts targeting only one school district could violate state law, which requires equitable funding for students.
Trice and McArthur will appear at the House committee hearing on April 23. District officials say they are complying with the law, but declined to address the latest House letter.
Law lacks state enforcement option
The Parents’ Bill of Rights does not give the state a way to enforce the law, but parents can file a formal complaint with their school district. Local decisions can be appealed to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, or parents can file a lawsuit in court.
On Monday, Jones said “stay tuned,” when asked how the Parents’ Bill of Rights might be revised to enforce its provisions.
State lawmakers approved a separate bill last year — House Bill 805 — that requires teachers and school libraries to post online databases of books available to students. It also requires a process for parents and guardians to flag books to which their children should not be exposed.
CHCCS posts its lists on the Parents Bill of Rights webpage, along with a link to an opt-out form. Only one parent has challenged a book, and that is going through the committee review process, CHCCS spokesman Andy Jenks said.
HB 805 is “a great enforcement tool,” Jones said, but “the burden should not be on the parent to sift through thousands of books in their child’s library to ensure their child is not being exposed to this filth.”
His office has dozens of complaints from CHCCS parents, he said.
The Campaign for Southern Equality thinks the law could result in widespread censorship, said Craig White, with the Supportive Schools team. The group joined with Public School Strong, Youth OUTright WNC and Good Trouble WNC in February to warn the Buncombe County Schools against over-compliance with the law.
“Having a window into the lives of other people helps prepare young people to live in a diverse and multicultural democratic society, and having a mirror shows them they belong and are welcome at school,” White said. “We’re hearing from teachers that they would include diverse books if they could, but they believe they will be sued, or fired, or their schools will lose funding.”
Jones targets CHCCS policies, teacher
Jones first targeted the CHCCS school board late last year, when he reposted an online, social-media video of former school board Chair George Griffin responding to a campaign forum question about the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
Previous committee letters have accused CHCCS of violating state laws “to indoctrinate children as young as six years old with inappropriate materials involving sex and gender” and “championing divisive ideas about race.”
Republican lawmakers grilled Trice and Griffin, who was re-elected in November, at a Dec. 3 committee hearing in Raleigh. At the hearing, Jones read from several books about sexuality and gender before throwing them to the floor.
The district’s policy on names and pronouns follows the law, prohibiting teachers from making changes unless a student voluntarily tells their parents. The district also bans K-4 instruction about gender identity, sexual activity and sexuality.
In February, Jones called out a CHCCS elementary school behavior specialist for her TikTok social media videos, most of which teach viewers how to work with exceptional students. In other videos, she advocates for teaching children about body autonomy and consent, human rights, and historically marginalized communities.
In a February letter to Trice, the committee co-chairs called for an immediate, formal investigation and a written explanation of any corrective action taken.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 7:54 AM.
