NC school district removes sexual orientation and gender identity from policies
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Johnston County school board voted 5-2 to remove sexual orientation and gender identity.
- The district replaced explicit categories with a hyperlink to the state bullying statute.
- Johnston County is the state's seventh-largest district, serving over 37,000 students.
One of North Carolina’s largest school districts has removed explicit wording protecting LGBTQ+ students and school employees from its anti-bullying and equal employment policies.
The Johnston County school board voted 5-2 on Tuesday night to remove multiple references to sexual orientation and gender identity from its hiring policy and anti-bullying policy. Supporters of the policy revisions argued that everyone will still be protected and will be treated equally.
“We’re just saying we’re not going to tolerate bullying in Johnston County Public Schools, and we don’t care the reason,” said board member Michelle Antoine. “We’re just not going to accept it.”
But critics of the policy changes say no longer having specific wording in those policies will result in more harassment of LGBTQ+ students and school employees.
“There’s no reason to take it out,” said board member April Lee. “If it makes you uncomfortable, then you need to do your own self-reflection about why. But we’re here for all children, regardless of your personal feelings about anything, about where you go to church or what your church teaches.”
Debate over transgender rights
Johnston County’s vote comes at a time when the transgender community has come under attack.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 declaring that the U.S. government only recognizes two sexes, male and female. Republican state lawmakers cited Trump’s order behind a new state law that went into effect on Jan. 1 that says North Carolina officially recognizes only two sexes, The News & Observer previously reported.
The Trump administration has made several policy changes, including reinstating the ban on transgender soldiers serving in the U.S. military and reversing Biden administration rules that extended Title IX federal education law protections to transgender students.
In June, the Trump administration launched Title IX civil rights investigations against the Buncombe County and Cabarrus County school systems for allowing transgender students to use the restrooms that match their gender identity.
Antoine referenced the North Carolina investigations in supporting the policy changes.
“We’ve been put into a no-win situation where we have to follow federal law and we have to follow state law,” Antoine said. “I’m just saying we’re not going to tolerate bullying and we will leave the broader political issues at the federal and state levels.”
Will school be less welcome for LGBTQ community?
Johnston County is North Carolina’s seventh-largest school district. It has more than 37,000 students. The school board is officially nonpartisan but has a Republican majority.
Board member Kay Carroll and Antoine got into a heated exchange over the policy changes.
Carroll pointed to statistics showing that LGBTQ+ students are more likely to be bullied and to attempt suicide as reasons to keep sexual orientation and gender identity in the policies.
“Let’s send a message to the students that come to our school system, you know, ‘You’re welcome,’” Carroll said.
Antoine, who noted during the meeting that she was elected due to her conservative beliefs, asked if Carroll meant all students or just those in special listed categories.
“Some people have rights, but some people have more rights,” Antoine said. “Is that correct? Some people have access to more rights than other people? Or are we all the same?”
Carroll responded that people aren’t asking for anything special.
“Don’t pick on me because I have a different lifestyle,” Carroll said. “Don’t pick on me because I look different. Don’t pick on me because I’m brown-skinned. That’s all they’re saying.”
Policies remove examples of protected classes
The changes came one year after the school board banned teachers from having gay pride flags in their classroom. In that same July 2025 meeting, the board deadlocked 3-3 on the policy changes that were approved Tuesday.
Previously, the district’s anti-discrimination policy listed several categories of harassment and bullying, including “race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, developmental or sensory disability.”
Previously, the equal employment policy listed several examples of sex (including pregnancy, child birth, sexual orientation, and gender identity) that the district said it would provide employment without regard to.
Now all those categories are gone in favor of adding a hyperlink to the state’s school bullying and harassing behavior statute. The state statute lists several specific examples of prohibited bullying, including sexual orientation and gender identity.
School board vice chair Kevin Donovan, who had been absent at the July 2025 meeting, said the policies are stronger now because the hyperlink includes groups not previously listed by the district.
But Lee said they could add the new groups instead of taking anyone out. Lee and Carroll voted against the changes.
Antoine, Donovan, board chair Lynn Andrews, Jeff Sullivan and Terry Tippett voted for the policy changes. Sullivan had voted against them last year.
“Everybody deserves equal treatment,” Tippett said. “I don’t see where this policy is leaning anywhere except offering everybody equal treatment.”
