NC Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Race

The two candidates running to lead North Carolina’s public schools are accusing each other of promoting radical agendas that would devastate public education in the state. Mo Green, the Democratic nominee for state superintendent, charged Thursday that GOP nominee Michele Morrow is anti-public schools and engages in violent rhetoric.

Green focused on social media posts where Morrow talked about executing prominent Democrats and called public schools “socialist indoctrination centers.”

In a new campaign video this week, Morrow called Green a “radical extremist.” She’s focused on the grants that the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation gave when Green was the progressive group’s executive director from 2016 to 2023.

Morrow, a Donald Trump supporter who protested outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, upset incumbent Republican Superintendent Catherine Truitt in the March 5 GOP primary. Morrow has received national attention over the past week since CNN reported on her past social media posts, including those that talked about killing President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other Democrats.

“I prefer a Pay Per View of him in front of the firing squad,” Morrow wrote in a tweet from May 2020, responding to a user sharing a conspiracy theory who suggested sending Obama to prison at Guantanamo Bay. “I do not want to waste another dime on supporting his life. We could make some money back from televising his death.”

CNN also reported how Morrow used the #DeathtoTraitors hashtag at least 12 times on social media, including on a 2020 post on the social network Parler talking about Cooper and COVID-19 restrictions.

In Morrow posts from 2010 to 2021, Morrow made anti-Islamic comments, used QAnon slogans and talked about the conspiracy theory that thousands of Chinese troops were massed on the Canadian border “waiting for orders to invade,” CNN reported.

Green responded Thursday to Morrow’s charges by focusing on the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s work on education issues, particularly the long-running Leandro school funding case that’s back before the N.C. Supreme Court. The foundation helped fund the school districts suing the state for more funding.

In an interview after the news conference, Green said that the foundation’s work to increase public school funding is “far from radical and actually what’s needed in our state.”

“There are going to be some folks who are going to say when you try to support marginalized communities and bring them to the forefront and say they should have a place at the table that that’s considered radical,” Green said. “I would suggest to you that is what we should be doing for all North Carolinians.” 

Read full article here. 
 

Rejected Ballots 
The North Carolina Board of Elections said 473 ballots in the March 5 primary were not counted because the voter didn’t have a photo ID.
(Note from NASW-NC: Cheri Beasley lost her Supreme Court position in November 2020 by 401 votes.)

Of the 1.8 million people who cast ballots in the primary, 1,185 came to the polls and cast a provisional ballot without a photo ID. March 5 was the first statewide election under the new requirement.

Most of those voters filled out a photo ID exception form, which allows the voter to list a reason they don’t have one. The reasons include having a disability, not having transportation, and not having the documents needed to get an ID. The voter could also say they lost their ID.

After filling out the form, a majority of those people’s ballots were counted by county elections boards. However, 473 ballots were ultimately rejected. Of those voters, 60 did fill out ID exception forms, but their county board of elections still rejected their ballot. It’s unclear why. The remaining 413 voters did not fill out an exception form and did not return to the elections board to show an ID before canvass, which is when the vote is officially counted.

The number of ballots not counted because of photo ID works out to one ballot rejected for every 3,806 cast.

North Carolina voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2018 requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot. The implementing law has been challenged in court by voting-rights groups, who have said it discriminates against minority voters.

The North Carolina Supreme Court last year ruled that the photo ID law was constitutional. But there is still a federal lawsuit brought by the NAACP challenging the law that could go to trial in May.

Critics have also said photo ID is unnecessary since cases of in-person voter fraud are extremely rare. An audit for the state elections board found there was one case of in-person voter fraud in the 2016 election.

Read article here. 

Join #NASW in celebrating #SocialWorkMonth at Good Morning America in New York City on Wednesday, March 27 at 6 am! Wear a Social Work T-shirt. Meet us at West 44th Street & Broadway. For more info, email media@socialworkers.org.

Click Here to read President Biden's letter to social workers in honor of National Social Work Month. 

Governor Cooper Proclaims March 2024 as National Social Work Month
Governor Cooper has proclaimed March 2024 as National Social Work Month in North Carolina. This month, we honor and celebrate the many ways in which the contributions of Social Workers to our state.

You can read Governor Cooper's Social Work Proclamation Here. 

It’s #SocialWorkMonth! Thank you social workers for your role in substance use and misuse prevention, treatment, & recovery — as well as promoting mental health and well-being. #SWMonth2024 #EmpoweringSocialWorkers #PartnersInPrevention

Please find Social Work Month information and activities in North Carolina here.

Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities: 

NC Black Alliance
NC Black Summit : April 25-26, 2024 
Raleigh, NC

Mark your calendars for the 18th Annual NC Black Summit in Raleigh on April 25-26, 2024. Hosted by the North Carolina Black Alliance, this year’s theme, “Igniting Progress, Demanding Equity,” perfectly aligns as we approach the pivotal 2024 election—one of the most critical in our lifetime, with implications extending far beyond this year.

With over 20 positions on the ballot, both in NC and nationally, the 2024 Summit offers a unique opportunity for Black elected officials, public policy advocates, community stakeholders, strategic partners, and advocates from across the state to strategize on mobilizing voters to the polls and safeguarding OUR voting rights. We will explore solutions to issues affecting OUR community and collaboratively work towards building a more just and equitable North Carolina.

Find More Information & How to Register CLICK HERE! 
 

NC Budget & Tax Center 

Our Dollars, Our Future 2024
Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET

Join the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center on May 2 in Raleigh for a day of advocacy to take the budget back to the people. We will be requesting meetings with legislative leadership to demand a more transparent and equitable budget process, and joining together to discuss how we can organize to ensure future budgets fund the services and programs our state needs so every North Carolinian — from Boone to Wilmington and all parts between — has what they need to thrive.

Click Here to RSVP! 
 

March is National Criminal Justice Month. NAMI has launched a new campaign to show the impact of the criminal justice system on people with mental illness in our communities. People with mental illness are overrepresented in our nation’s jails and prisons and our criminal justice system is often not equipped to provide people who are incarcerated with the treatment and help that they need. At NAMI, we know the challenges people face before, during, and after their involvement in the criminal justice system. Overlooked: Stories of Mental Illness & the Criminal Justice System shares these stories of lived experience that often go unheard. Join us today and learn more at nami.org/overlooked.

What: Rally to Protect Medication Abortion

Where: Bus Meet Up in Raleigh or Chapel Hill,
Rally at the Supreme Court Steps

When: March 26, Bus Meet Up at 4:00AM

On March 26, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is hearing oral arguments to restrict mifepristone, an FDA-approved safe and effective medication for abortion. If access to mifepristone is rolled back, it will disproportionately impact people who live in rural communities, BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes. 

The ACLU of North Carolina and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic want to make sure our voices are heard. While oral arguments are underway, we will rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to protect abortion access and reproductive freedom. We want to make sure that North Carolinians are represented so we will be providing free busses to and from Washington D.C., departing from Raleigh and Chapel Hill, to make sure we can be there in force.

RSVP HERE

Read more: A Supreme Court ban of this abortion pill could have massive implications for my NC patients | Opinion

Upcoming NASW-NC Live Webinars:     
Registration Closes: Monday, April 1st  

Please join NASW-NC on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 from 12PM-1:30PM for an engaging virtual lunch and learn webinar. Explore the ethical responsibility outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics, emphasizing the importance of practicing within one’s areas of competence and continuously enhancing professional expertise.

Click HERE to register. 

This webinar aims to support providers in developing a foundational understanding of Islam and its practices. Gain insights into fostering cultural sensitivity and humility when serving Muslim clients, with a focus on accommodating faith-based needs. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn directly from Muslim Social Workers and enhance your cultural competence in the social work profession.

Zoom link will be emailed out to registrants the day before the meeting.

If you don't think you have received the Zoom link, please check your Spam folder. If not in your Spam, please email Lauren Zingraff at advocacy.naswnc@socialworkers.org for assistance BEFORE the webinar begins.

Ideas presented by speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and policies of NASW-NC.

The 2024 Short Session begins on April 24, 2024. NASW-NC’s main legislative priority will be to get Senate Bill 718 -Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact passed during the 2024 short session. The Social Work Compact creation was initiated by the Department of Defense to promote licensure portability for military spouses. Many Republican lawmakers, who have the supermajority in both the NC House and Senate, support military populations. The bill’s primary sponsor is Senator Joyce Krawiec, who has announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2024 session.  The compact does have bi-partisan support in the NC Senate and was referred to the committee on Rules and Operations on April 10, 2023.  It was not subjected to crossover as it was not tied to appropriations.  The Social Work Compact will go into effect when at least seven different states pass it.   You can see more about the states that have introduced the compact here. NASW-NC has already been speaking with lawmakers about supporting and passing SB 718 when the short session begins.  Be sure to watch for updates in upcoming Advocacy Alerts. 

Thank you to the members of NASW-NC for supporting the advocacy work we do. We would not be able to advocate for the social work profession or social justice issues in North Carolina without a robust and engaged NASW membership. If you are a social worker and not a member, we ask that you join NASW today. Our voice is louder with your membership.

Learn more about NASW-NC membership here.

Want this information sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for weekly NASW-NC legislative updates: https://votervoice.net/NASWNC/home