Michelle Morrow, a homeschooling mother who recently won the Republican nomination to lead North Carolina’s public schools, vowed to restore “a healthy basic public education” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
And her race against Democrat Moe Green in the general election will be one of the most closely watched and politically watched races in the nation this year.
Morrow, a supporter of former President Trump who attended a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, is running for the March 5 Republican primary and is currently serving as North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. When he defeated Catherine Truitt, it was not uncommon for controversy to arise.
As Morrow heads into the general election, she outlines promises to parents, while also highlighting past social media posts that disrupted her failed 2022 Wake County School Board campaign. It resurfaced when he ran for office.
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“I want to go back to a healthy basic education. I want kids to be able to think, to be able to problem solve, to be able to overcome obstacles,” she told Fox News Digital. “When you talk to your neighbors from other countries who have lived under radical regimes, they realize what a blessing and blessing it is to live in a country with religious freedom.
Michelle Morrow has won the Republican primary for North Carolina’s Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 5, 2024. (North Carolina Tomorrow 4th)
“And we also have the freedom as parents to make educational choices, to make medical decisions and everything in school for our children. I support that, and people across the state. understands that.”
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunities I have had in the United States and am proud to be a citizen of this great country,” she added. “I want every person, every child, to understand the true history of this country and the world and what an incredible blessing and responsibility it is to be a citizen of a free country. I hope you understand.”
She also blamed Green, a former superintendent of Guilford County Schools and general counsel for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board, on Z. Smith, who allegedly invested $627 million in education grants and other initiatives. – Criticized his work as executive director of the Reynolds Foundation. North Carolina.
“It appears that there was funding for very extremist groups like Antifa and potentially BLM, and we know that he was involved in drag queen story times, divisive things, and even anti-Semitic protests. “We’re looking into the fact that they may have provided funding,” Morrow said. He added that his campaign is continuing to investigate the funding.
“Those who do not believe that all people have the religious freedom to practice their religion as they wish, and who do not believe that people should be separated or defined by the color of their skin, It cannot exist for us. It is of no use and would actually be traumatic and cause more division and problems in North Carolina,” she added.
“And I say to voters, ‘If you’re ready to change your school system, if you want academics to be a priority, if you want school spending to start in the classroom and extend to the boardroom, If you want to take politics out of our schools, I’m the only candidate, because if you vote against me, you’ll get the same thing,” she said.
“It’s going to be someone who comes from the system that disrupts the system. So we need hard-working people who come in with new ideas and fresh perspectives and fight for North Carolina families.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s campaign about the allegations Thursday, but did not immediately receive a response.
Morrow said the public school system is increasingly “advancing a political agenda” that divides children religiously and politically along racial lines, and is “disrupting the unity that children should experience in their school lives.” “It is also hindering understanding of school education.” “Whatever community they go into after graduation, we use their gifts and talents to make them better,” she said.
Morrow vowed to move toward strong civics education in North Carolina’s public middle and high schools, praising Ben Carson’s curriculum developed for kindergarten through fifth grade. of history. ”
“I think we need to talk about not only what we did well, but also what we did very poorly, and learn from that,” Morrow said. “I believe that no one should be defined and their future should not be determined by the color of their skin.
“I want to focus on math and reading, science and history,” she said. “I want to raise the bar of expectations, whether that’s in conduct or academics. And I have a plan to make that happen. Being safe, like I said, we want to make sure that our schools are safe, that they are places of peace and order and civility, where our young people can actually learn. We learn self-control, we learn to be hardworking, and we learn to overcome the obstacles that lie in our path with the help of others. See that I bring a message of hope. I Bringing solutions to a broken system.”
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Regarding concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT) permeating the public education system, Morrow said, “The role of the education system is to help each student reach their full potential.” “We believe that our goal should be to help people realize their potential.” And in fact, it should have nothing to do with their culture, race, or gender. ”
Even though Morrow homeschools her children, she considers herself a product of the North Carolina public school system, graduating from high school in Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied nursing. He explained to Fox News Digital that he received his degree. She said her family had problems securing accommodations for her special needs daughter while living in Texas, so she made the decision to homeschool her daughter. And she has continued to homeschool her every year.
“For the past 10 years, I’ve been a teacher here in Wake County, teaching high school students everything from biology to chemistry to civics to Spanish,” Morrow said. “And those students were also attending public schools, and their parents chose that the best option for them was homeschooling. So I feel like I was a change agent. .I was the answer to a problem.’
March 5, 2024 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Katherine Truitt narrowly lost to Michelle Morrow in the Republican primary. (AP Photo/Brian Anderson, File)
He said his experience traveling around the state has taught him that lack of discipline, consequences and expectations are the main concerns for parents.
“I believe that if students are not safe, they cannot learn, and we are committed to focusing our time, class time, and resources on academic excellence and preparing our children to think critically.” “It will be,” she said.
Morrow promotes religious freedom and equality, but the 2022 school board election is mired in past fallout social media posts In it, she described Islam as a “cult.” During that race, she made it clear that she was referring to Islamic extremists.
Asked if she wanted to address her past social media posts about Islam, Morrow said, “I am honored to receive such passionate support from parents and families of all races, religions, and creeds across North Carolina. , because when we make a political accusation, everyone understands it.” The racially divisive and sexually explicit content and agendas that take place in our schools are dangerous to all of us. ”
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On Wednesday, after dark in the parking lot of the North Carolina Republican convention, Morrow confronted a CNN reporter on camera and said he mentioned wanting former President Obama to win in a social media post that resurfaced in 2020. I asked them to respond to the content. In front of a firing squad.
She also reportedly spoke about the execution of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Hillary Clinton. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D.N.Y. and Joe Biden for treason. CNN also claimed that Morrow promotes the QAnon conspiracy.
In a video message shared with X, Ms. Moreau addressed the incident, saying that a CNN reporter was staked out outside her home for several days and then taken a step further in the parking lot.
“These three men ambushed us and refused to let us access the vehicle until we answered their questions. This is completely inappropriate. It is unsafe and it is unacceptable,” Morrow said. “Do you ever wonder why reporters from New York City are following me here and demanding that I answer questions about education in North Carolina? Just like they did during the 2020 election, Because they’re trying to interfere in the 2024 election. If these people really care about education and what North Carolina voters care about, they should We’ll be talking about failing schools.”
He added, “CNN thinks that by blackmailing me and lying, they can choose who will lead K-12 schools in North Carolina. That’s not going to work.”
Fox News Digital followed up with Morrow’s campaign Thursday to ask about those posts and the heated exchange with CNN related to them, but did not immediately receive a response.
During the 2022 campaign, Morrow also publicly stated that while teachers should have their Second Amendment rights protected, they should not be held responsible for school safety.
When asked by Fox News Digital to elaborate on what this means, Morrow said that over the past few years, 1,500 teachers have been assaulted in their classrooms, and in 2023 alone, more than 600 elementary school students brought weapons to school. he claimed. She vowed to consult with law enforcement officials, child psychologists and counselors to develop a new statewide school safety plan.
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When asked about Jan. 6, Morrow deflected, saying, “North Carolinians are excited about the future and what it means for what we want to do in education. Seventy-five percent of North Carolina’s eighth graders turned out to be incompetent in math, and last year in reading and science.
“And it’s time for us to actually take politics out of the classroom and start focusing on the sound basic education that the Constitution promises every student.”
Morrow has not been charged in the Capitol riot.
