NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A school board member has taken to social media to share her disdain for a recent report regarding another book challenge at New Hanover County Schools. Josie Barnhart admitted she was the one behind it.
READ MORE: NHC school board again votes down ‘Stamped’ discussion despite book ban protest
Barnhart claims she is being politically targeted by the media — with her children being used as “collateral” — for reporting on Sharon Draper’s “Blended,” which is being challenged at Wrightsboro Elementary. The book is about Isabella, a mixed-race 11-year-old, navigating her parents divorce and incidents of racism in her school, all culminating in a traffic stop where Isabella is shot by an officer.
WHQR broke the story on May 9 and obtained documents associated with the challenge, which show the parent took issue with the maturity level of the subject matter. The documents were released via a public records request made by WHQR, and NHCS redacted both the student and parent names.
The outlet reports the challenge “accused the author of ‘taking liberties’ by injecting an incident of racial tension into the book” and voiced concerns on how the book would affect relationships between students and school resource officers (SROs).
New Hanover County Schools did not provide WHQR with the name of the parent behind the challenge; however, WHQR reported multiple sources pointed to Barnhart.
“This breach of privacy is a direct attack on your and my parental rights,” Barnhart wrote in her statement Thursday. “I refuse to stand by when there is an attempt to intimidate and silence parents who follow the process.”
The board member demanded accountability for what she called a “leak” of information — particularly her name — along with changes in protocols, though didn’t offer specifics. Later in the statement, Barnhart discussed filing the challenge.
“I started this process six months ago, not utilizing my position on the board to influence, but rather taking the appropriate channels all parents are given,” Barnhart wrote.
Port City Daily asked Barnhart for specifics on how she found out about the book but did not receive a response by press. WHQR reported there were copies in Wrightsboro classroom libraries.
Book challenges begin at the school level, where a committee of staff, principals and a parent review the material in question. The Wrightsboro Elementary committee approved of the book, rejecting the challenge, yet the parent appealed, which prompted it to go before the district-wide review committee. WHQR reported NHCS had yet to inform the outlet on results of the committee’s meeting, which occurred on May 5.
Port City Daily asked Barnhart for the result, though did not get a response. In her statement, the board member claimed the process is “tainted” because of reporting tying her to the complaint.
Not only has it “muddied” the process, but Barnhart claims people that provided information to WHQR did so in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The law ensures student’s educational records are kept private and confidential, with only parents allowed to review things like grades and attendance. However, FERPA doesn’t apply to parent identities.
Barnhart did not further detail how she thought the release of her name was a FERPA violation.
She claimed the release was intended to “create media buzz and sow division in our community before the district has made a decision about content shows a clear attempt to manipulate, sway, and intimidate decision makers under the false claims of ‘book banning.’”
Port City Daily also asked Barnhart if she would recuse herself should she bring the challenge before the school board. After the district-level review, parents have the option to appeal to the school board, which has final say on the matter.
Upon reaching out to other board members to weigh in, Tim Merrick was the only person to respond:
“I’ve read Ms Barnhart’s press release where she implies that she is the parent, but I have not heard her say definitively she is. If it is determined she is the parent, then she must recuse herself. It is wholly inappropriate to act as both plaintiff and jury.”
If it reaches the board, “Blended” would become the second book to be challenged in the last two years. In 2023, the board voted 4-3 to temporarily ban the book “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You” from curriculum after it was being taught in an AP English class. The ban was only supposed to hold until the district could identify a book with an alternative perspective, though this has yet to be done, despite recent attempts to discuss it by Merrick and board member Judy Justice. The item is scheduled to be taken up by curriculum committee in June.
Read Barnhart’s full statement on social media here.
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