NASW-NC Member Nakeia Alsup speaks at Legislative Press Conference

On Tuesday, NASW-NC member Nakeia Alsup, a former school social worker, spoke at a North Carolina Legislative press conference against SB49 Parents Bill of Rights.

“It is clear that Senate Bill 49 will make life more difficult for these kids, and any kid that is struggling to fit in. The past few years have been difficult for the children of North Carolina – having to deal with enormous stressors like isolation during the pandemic, a rise in school shootings, and difficulties navigating social media. As adults, we should be focused on making schools the safe and welcoming place it should be, so that kids can feel loved and supported and have the tools they need to learn and grow,” Nakeia stated to a room full of press and legislators.

The bill was introduced and passed through all assigned committees within a week before passing the Senate on party lines on February 7. The bill will now go to the House.

The bill would do many things, but, among them include: 

• Prohibit teaching curriculum including gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten – 4th grade. This content is not in the curriculum as it is but this would extend into the conversations students and educators have in the classroom, books and lesson plans, and the media. Teachers and social workers would not be able to answer student questions.
• Prohibit a healthcare provider (including social workers!) from providing, soliciting, or arranging treatment for a minor child without first obtaining written consent from that minor child's parent. This means that providing LGBTQ affirming care, such as mental health care, to queer and trans students could cause providers to incur a $5,000 fine for violating this law.
• Parents already have rights to make decisions about their students’ healthcare; this bill makes it more difficult for healthcare professionals to offer gender-affirming care by threatening them with fines and encourages parents to distrust healthcare providers.
• Just as the bill places an undue burden on teachers with documentation requirements, the bill places an undue burden on healthcare professionals by forcing them to jump through unnecessary hoops to provide care to students. Parents already have rights to make decisions about their children’s healthcare, and this bill creates additional steps for providing important healthcare services in the name of “parental consent.”
• Anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills harm the mental health of queer and trans youth. With the prevalence of suicidal ideation trending upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years, bills like SB49 have life or death consequences.

NASW-NC’s position is clear: Limiting the ability for students to seek out and have safe spaces and support has the potential to cause direct mental and physical harm to LGBTQ+ individuals. Requiring school staff (including social workers) to potentially out students is unconscionable. And limiting the ability of social workers (and other healthcare providers) to do their job and subjecting them to fines and disciplinary action for supporting students sets a dangerous precedent that may require a social worker to violate the Code of Ethics in order to follow this law.

Our House representatives need to be told clearly, this bill is harmful and not helpful. Tell your House representatives that schools are supposed to be safe and welcoming for all students. Legislators should be focusing on the how to reverse the decline of student mental health, increased anxiety and suicidal ideations and funding mental health supports in schools.

This is why NASW-NC supports SB74 “Parents’ and Students’ Bill of Rights” sponsored by Senator and Social Worker Sydney Batch, which includes protections for students including:

• Adequate access to and encouragement to use mental health and substance abuse services in educational settings and to be given resources to other outside mental health and substance abuse services.
• A learning environment in which discrimination in all forms is not tolerated by the public school unit or school administration, school police or security personnel, or students.
• A feeling of safety and comfort at school, including sufficient protections and resources for the public school and school unit, including physical and mental protections for students and staff.

Email your House representatives to tell them to vote against SB49 when it comes to a vote.

News articles quoting Nakeia Alsup:

https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2023/02/07/democrats-counter-republican-backed-bill-requiring-schools-to-out-transgender-students-to-parents/

Photo above by Alex Granados/EducationNC

https://www.ednc.org/schools-provide-a-safe-haven-for-many-students-would-the-parents-bill-of-rights-change-that/