NC Superintendent Defends Failing System That Allows Convicted Pedophiles To Keep Credentials

Protecting schoolchildren from pedophiles should be a priority in North Carolina. We expect elected officials to ensure teachers convicted of abusing children are banned from teaching in the future.

Catherine Truitt has been criticized for her lapses in policing predatory teachers.

As Superintendent, Truitt failed to revoke teachers' teaching licenses after being charged with sex abuse last year. This is according to members of the Onslow and Lee county boards of education.

Onslow County officials say they promptly notified DPI when a teacher was fired and surrendered his license voluntarily after he was arrested for secretly filming children undressing. Yet Truitt’s team did not record a revocation in its database as required by law.

Several Republican legislators intervened last March to force Truitt to suspend the license of convicted pedophile Jeremy Flock from Cabarrus County.

Perhaps this is why the incumbent candidate proudly promotes a record of personally revoking teaching licenses of those accused or convicted of inappropriate behavior or child sex offenses. See Truitt's answer to a related question in the Christian Perspectives Voter Guide:

In her answer, Truitt omits the fact that at least 3 former teachers are still licensed to teach after being convicted of heinous crimes against children.

Convicted Former Teachers With Actice NC Livenses

The teacher disciplinary system is a complete mess, but Truitt claims credit for it.

Erin Pare,' NC House Rep. from Wake County, maintains that the Protect Our Students Act prevents convicted teachers from keeping their licenses.

The bill does increase the penalties for teachers who are arrested for sex crimes against students. However, it will do nothing to tighten the lax discipline system in place at the state level - the system Catherine Truitt takes credit for.

Pare' who serves as Catherine Truitt's campaign surrogate, took to a Charlotte radio show last night to rail against those, like me, who are exposing Truitt for these egregious lapses in child safety.

Pare’ took exception to this X post I published last week:

For Pare, the real villains were those who pointed out these systemic dangers, not the pedophiles who could keep their teaching licenses.

But it’s time for lawmakers to stop gaslighting and passing the buck.

North Carolina needs to act now to ensure that all loopholes are closed so abusers no longer have access to the classrooms.

All convicted teachers must be removed from the teaching profession and banned from teaching in the state. We must pass legislation requiring background checks for all school staff in public and charter schools.