Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson joined forces with the Moms for Liberty group on Wednesday morning outside the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh calling for various public school system reforms.
Several speakers touched on the harms of exposing children to sexual material as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics in school settings. In particular, the group wants the legislature to mandate all high school students pass a civics test before graduating to ensure they have a basic understanding of their rights as Americans.
“In our schools, there are certain subjects and certain things that have no place,” said Robinson at the event. “Children are not supposed to be learning about adult topics in our schools. We’re supposed to be teaching them about civics and real history and financial literacy and getting them career-ready. Those are the things we’re supposed to be teaching our children. These agendas need to be removed from our schools; they need to be removed from our government.”
Grassroots leaders with the group say not only are reading scores a problem among high school graduates but also their knowledge of America’s framework, such as the Constitution and their natural rights. In an outline of their legislative agenda, the group emphasizes the importance of civic education.
North Carolina Legislative Days | June 11 & 12
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Featured speakers include: @Moms4Liberty Director of National Engagement @Just1TiaBess, Kimberly Hermann @slf_liberty & Joni Bryan @917Society.
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— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) June 3, 2024
“Moms for Liberty NC believes that a full knowledge and understanding of our country, its history, and its governmental framework are essential to becoming successful and independent citizens and knowing how to engage in constitution-based civic responsibilities. Therefore, we can a High School graduation requirement for all students to complete and pass the US Citizenship Test, given only in English, as an existing exam in order to receive their diploma”
Adding the requirement would ensure Americans are held to the same standard as foreigners who wish to become US citizens, the group said. Immigrants who go through the legal process of becoming American citizens with the Department of Homeland Security must pass a citizenship test. An officer with the Customs and Immigration Services asks each applicant up to 10 questions from a list of 100. The applicant must orally answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly, and they are not multiple-choice questions.
Some of the civic questions asked to immigrants include:
- What is the supreme law of the land?
- What is an amendment?
- What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
- What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
Take the test for yourself here.
“They [students] might take a citizenship course now, but they can’t name the three branches of government. They don’t understand the separation of powers,” Brooke Weiss, Moms for Liberty Mecklenburg Chapter Chair, told the Carolina Journal. “So we just want to make sure that kids graduate literate, that they know their timetables, that they know what it means to be a citizen in the United States, and that they’re at least as literate as we expect immigrants that are coming to this country to be. We need our children, our citizens, to at least be that literate.”
North Carolina’s Mom for Liberty chapter is the first in the nation to push for the civics requirement. Working on other reforms in recent years, the group says they have realized some elected officials don’t understand what they’ve taken an oath to after being sworn into office.
While outlining concerning agendas in today’s school system, Tia Bess, the National Director of Engagement with Moms for Liberty, showed the crowd a Little People set made by Fisher-Price. The figurines were drag queens, and the packaging said, “Don’t be afraid to become the image of your own imagination”
“Leave the kids alone,” Bess urged. “Stop indoctrinating the kids and let them make their own choice. They do not have enough data to make an informed decision. And they’re depending on all of you as parents to speak up.”