Durham Public School Strong, Durham For All and other organizers built “School-Based Care and Protection Teams” to gather outside Durham schools Wednesday through Friday mornings when students arrive. In Wake County, people volunteered to do the same.
The Durham sign-up sheet said teams will “hold signs, lead chants and songs and be prepared to mobilize safe-to-school parades if Durham does become targeted.”
The Wake County N.C. Association of Educators and other groups organized a training Tuesday evening to help school employees and community volunteers learn how to reassure students and families fearful of the federal immigration operation.
The ultimate goal, said Wake NCAE President Christina Cole, is to keep people safe.
“People should have the dignity and the ability to live in our country and their community and to not be afraid of getting kidnapped going to school or going to work and being terrorized,” Cole said in an interview.
The Wake training event nearly filled Raleigh’s Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Cole said. Experienced activists provided information about how to identify and interact with federal agents who might show up at or near a school.
The crowd then broke into groups, depending on their role in the community. Parents and others talked about “safety patrols” around schools to watch for federal agents and help parents and children feel welcome.
Meanwhile, school employees talked about steps they might take, such as preparing lesson plans for absent students or getting additional emergency contacts should a family member be detained.
“We talked a little bit about mutual aid,” Cole said. “Can we deliver food or groceries or whatever to our families if they’re afraid to leave their homes?”
Many parents appear to be keeping their kids home from school while the Border Patrol is active in the Triangle. In Wake County, nearly 19,500 students were absent from school Tuesday, about 67% more than a normal day, according to county officials.
Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools also reported higher-than-normal absences Tuesday.
Richard Stradling covers transportation for The News & Observer. Planes, trains and automobiles, plus ferries, bicycles, scooters and just plain walking. He’s been a reporter or editor for 38 years, including the last 26 at The N&O. 919-829-4739, rstradling@newsobserver.com.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead in an undated photo. Birkhead and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe are urging NC residents to remain calm if they encounter Border Patrol agents.
As U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive in Charlotte, Wake and Durham sheriffs released statements Friday to address concerns about potential immigration enforcement activities in their counties.
Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said his office had not received “any official notification from U.S. Customs and Border Protection” of any operation or activity. Rowe urged residents not to confront Border Patrol agents if they were to come to Wake County and allow them to carry out official duties.
“The safety and well-being of our community remains the primary concern of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and we strive to avoid circumstances that may lead to injuries or unnecessary arrests,” Rowe wrote.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead also said his office was not aware of any planned or ongoing Border Patrol operations but noted that “we are also not informed prior to any such CBP or ICE operations being initiated in local jurisdictions.”
“My message to you has not changed — Do Not Panic!” Birkhead wrote. “Keep your eyes open. Know your rights.”
Federal officers were spotted in Charlotte Saturday morning, The Charlotte Observer reported. It is unclear why the federal government chose Charlotte or how long it plans to have agents in the Queen City, though CBS News reported the operation may last a week.
Local and state leaders blasted the move Friday, criticizing the lack of transparency — local leaders said they had not been briefed on the operation — and emphasizing that Charlotte did not need Border Patrol to carry out immigration enforcement, The Charlotte Observer reported.
In his statement, Birkhead reiterated that Durham County does not participate in neither the 287(g) program — which allows local officers to perform immigration enforcement under the oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — nor “any CBP or ICE ‘roundup’ operations.” Wake County has not participated in the 287(g) program since 2018.
Birkhead said he had met regularly with Hispanic residents to address their concerns and questions and would continue to stay alert to any changes in immigration enforcement.
“My job is to keep this community safe,” Birkhead wrote. “The many relationships we have across Durham County allow us to do just that.”
Twumasi Duah-Mensah is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer. He began at The N&O as a summer intern on the metro desk. Born and raised in the Triangle, Duah-Mensah has previously interned for WUNC and NC Health News. Send him tips and good tea places at (919) 283-1187.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday, Oct. 29 that October benefits are unaffected, but the state has not yet received federal funding to issue November payments on schedule.
More than 143,000 people in Mecklenburg County and 83,000 in Wake County could be impacted by the delay, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Ron Pringle, CEO of the Raleigh-based Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, told The News & Observer his organization is preparing “like a natural disaster,” warning that even after the shutdown ends, “the storm isn’t over.”
With increased traffic expected at food banks across the state, those who are able can help by donating food, time or money — but is donating one better than the others?
While donating food and volunteering are often needed and appreciated, financial donations can have a larger impact. Here’s why.
Emma Wilcox, a senior at Riverside High School, adds sweet potatoes to boxes of fresh produce for distribution at a weekly food pantry at Iglesia Presbiteriania Emanuel on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Durham, N.C. The food pantry prepared over 50 extra boxes of fresh produce to help accommodate students during the closure of a dozen Durham schools. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Is it better to donate food or money?
When you donate money, food banks can usually make it go further than you can at the grocery store.
According to Feeding America, these organizations can purchase large volumes of food at wholesale prices and cover essential costs like transportation, storage, staffing and other things individual food donations can’t always help with. Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina also reports that every dollar donated translates into “about 7 pounds of food.”
Put simply, when you give money, food banks can choose exactly what’s needed and buy it more efficiently than individual shoppers can, Feeding America says. That means the $10 you spend on a few canned goods could provide many meals when donated instead.
Money helps give people what they actually need
Food banks often try to distribute food based on dietary requirements, but those foods aren’t always donated.
A 2022 study published by the National Library of Medicine found that while food banks do help people access food, the donations they receive often lack variety and nutrition.
By donating cash, you help food banks fill those gaps and stock what’s missing, according to the LA Regional Food Bank, which also points out that money gives them the flexibility to buy whatever their clients need at any given time. It also helps them keep up when food prices rise or certain items run short, so they can make sure everyone gets healthy, balanced meals.
Cash donations reduce waste and save food banks time
Donating food can create extra work for food banks, who have to inspect, sort, store and sometimes even throw away items that are expired or damaged.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, while most food banks welcome physical donations, there are still real costs involved in moving and managing all that food.
When you give money instead, food banks can skip the sorting and focus on buying exactly what they need, when they need it. Feeding America also notes that cash also helps support programs that rescue surplus produce and get it to families quickly, before it goes to waste.
Check out our story on where to get help, including food assistance hotlines, food pantries and nonprofit information for Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston County.
For mental health resources during difficult times, check out the News & Observer’s mental health resource guide, which features information about immediate help during a mental health crisis, as well as help for LGBTQ+ people, people of color, children and families, people with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness.
Ask the North Carolina Service Journalism Team
Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.
Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.
State Health Plan costs will rise dramatically in 2026 for most Wake County school employees.
Parra
MCT
CARY
Most Wake County school employees will see increases in their State Health Plan costs next year, with many either seeing a doubling in their deductibles or sharp increases in their monthly premiums.
The State Health Plan is switching to a salary-based plan with premium increases as part of what state officials say are needed steps to keep the plan solvent. Wake County school administrators said Tuesday that 84% of the district’s employees will have higher health insurance costs next year, with most in a category seeing across-the-board premium increases.
The higher health costs are occurring at the same time state lawmakers left Raleigh last week without adopting a comprehensive state budget that includes school employee pay raises.
“Considering the increase in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses associated with the plan design changes — and in the absence of pay increases for a large portion of this group — this will result in a net negative in take-home pay for next year for these individuals,” Chad Hively, Wake’s director of benefits, told the school board’s finance and budget committee.
84% of Wake employees to see higher premiums
The State Health Plan provides coverage to nearly 750,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and their dependents. Aetna administers the State Health Plan for the state, The News & Observer previously reported.
The Plus PPO and Standard PPO plans will replace the 80/20 Enhanced PPO and 70/30 Base PPO plans for active employees.
State Treasurer Brad Briner cited a projected $500 million deficit in the State Health Plan in 2026 for needing to make major changes.
Open enrollment began in October for the State Health Plan.
Hively said roughly half of the Wake school employees whose costs will go up are non-teachers. This group includes some of Wake’s lowest paid employees.
Some employees will begin seeing higher premiums starting in their December paychecks, according to Trisha Posey, Wake’s chief finance officer.
“While these changes are necessary to sustain the State Health Plan, we recognize they create additional financial pressure for our employees, especially since at this time we have not seen across-the-board state raises,” Posey told school board members.
Across-the-board increases for most Wake employees
State Health Plan premiums will decrease for some people, such as some groups of employees who are covering their children.
But 69% of Wake’s employees in the plan have employee-only coverage. This category will see across-the-board premium increases that will double in some cases.
In addition to the premium and deductible increases, the State Health Plan will have higher out-of-pocket costs for things such as prescriptions, primary care visits and hospital visits.
A beginning Wake teacher making less than $50,000 a year with employee-only coverage would see their monthly premium go up $10 in the standard plan and $16 in the plus plan.
A Wake teacher making between $50,001 and $65,000 a year with employee-only coverage would see their monthly premium double to $50 a month in the standard plan. It would go up 88% to $94 a month in the plus plan.
School board chair Chris Heagarty said some employees questioned if the district had overestimated their new premiums. Heagarty said the state had mistakenly told school employees that State Health Plan premiums would be based only on their state base salary.
In reality, Heagarty said, the premiums for school employees also include the local salary supplements that they get from school districts.
T. Keung Hui has covered K-12 education for the News & Observer since 1999, helping parents, students, school employees and the community understand the vital role education plays in North Carolina. His primary focus is Wake County, but he also covers statewide education issues.
NC Sen. Norman Sanderson was arrested and charged with driving while impaired in Raleigh Saturday evening.
Ethan Hyman
ehyman@newsobserver.com
North Carolina Sen. Norman Sanderson was arrested and charged with driving while impaired on Saturday evening, according to Wake County records.
Sanderson, 74, was also charged with having an open container of alcohol and failing to obey a traffic officer, the arrest warrant shows. He was arrested between Trinity and Edwards Mill Roads just after 9 p.m. His bond was set at $2,000, and he was released after posting bail at 10:42 p.m., court records show.
“Last night, I made a regrettable mistake, and I take responsibility for my actions,” Sanderson said in a statement provided to The News & Observer from Senate Republican Caucus spokesperson Lauren Horsch. “I want to apologize to my constituents, my colleagues, and my family for letting them down. I commend the State Highway Patrol and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism during the incident.”
Sanderson has also received citations for unsafe tires, a federal vehicle inspection violation and a “motor vehicle log book” violation in 2010, court records show.
The Republican lawmaker represents part of eight eastern North Carolina counties, including Carteret, Chowan and Pamlico.
This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM.
Nathan Collins is an investigative reporter at The News & Observer. He started his career in public radio where he earned statewide recognition for his accountability reporting in Dallas, Texas. Collins is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a former professional musician.
Three local collectible stores in the Triangle were robbed in the past week. The thief did not take cash or technology, just Pokémon cards.
“Somebody came through the front door, looks like with a bag of rocks. Smashed the door and went straight to the showcase,” said Joseph Lisa, co-owner of Crunch Time Sports Cards.
Lisa tells WRAL the thief walked away with over $6,000 worth of inventory.
Two other collectible shops in the area were hit: Hidden Block Games and New World Toys and Collectibles. They were robbed in almost the same way as Crunch Time and reported thousands of dollars of inventory stolen.
“I would assume that the person who did this has been in the store before, kind of knew what we kept,” said Josh Hanna, co-owner of Hidden Block Games.
It can also be a lucrative opportunity for those looking to invest. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Pokémon cards, which pay no dividends and aren’t subject to financial regulations that stocks or real estate would be, can have a 3,821% monthly return on an investment, outpacing Meta platforms, baseball cards and the S&P 500.
Shop owners tell WRAL robberies like this have occurred around the country, and in light of that store owners are amping up security. Some are investing in more cameras, others are installing reinforced glass windows and doors.
“The whole staff has an incredible passion for the store, for the product that we sell. So when something like this happens, it’s just shocking, it’s unfortunate, and we just have to kind of rebuild from it,” said Kenny Cunningham, employee at New World Toys and Collectibles.
As of Friday, no one has been arrested in connection with any of the robberies. Store owners say many of the Pokémon Cards stolen are valuable and easily identifiable, and they hope that when and if the thief attempts to sell the cards, it will lead to an arrest.
Anyone with information related to the robberies at Crunch Time and Hidden Block is asked to contact Raleigh Police. Anyone with information related to the robbery at New World is asked to contact the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — For the first time, more than one million North Carolina students will be eligible for extra food assistance this summer. The state is taking part in a new USDA program known as SUN Bucks to help prevent child hunger while school is out until the fall.
What You Need To Know
A new USDA program, SUN Bucks, helps prevent child hunger while school is out
SUN Bucks is a one-time $120 benefit that will be issued Friday, June 14
For eligible students, SUN Bucks will loaded onto current EBT cards and all others will get a SUN Bucks card in the mail
Any store that accepts EBT cards will take these SUN Bucks benefits as well
Nearly 60% of public school students across the state qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school. This SUN Bucks program is meant to help those students, as well as others who may be eligible.
“900,000 students in North Carolina depend upon meals at school during the school year for their primary source of nutrition,” Dr. Lynn Harvey, the NC DPI School Nutrition Services Director, said.
Harvey adds that a well-balanced meal is something some kids only experience while they’re at school.
“In fact, for many students, it’s the best, most nutritious meal they’re going to have. And for others, it may be the only meals they have,” Harvey said.
Harvey says the impact food can have on growing bodies and minds has been proven time and time again.
“Children can’t learn when they’re hungry. They’re limited in their capacity to pay attention in the classroom fully. When we make sure they’re well nourished, when they’re well-fed, they can concentrate, they can focus on the task at hand. They can achieve their best,” Harvey said.
While these meals are consistent during the school year, there’s a gap the state is hoping to fill.
“So what happens when school’s out for the summer months? Those meals are not there,” Harvey said.
This year, for the first time, more than one million North Carolina students will be eligible for extra food assistance over the summer, a one-time $120 benefit known as SUN Bucks.
“The SUN Bucks program will provide cash assistance to children and, of course, to their households that will enable them to purchase groceries throughout the summer months,” Harvey said.
Those who already receive no-cost or reduced-cost meals at school, take part in Food and Nutrition Services, receive Medicaid with income below 185% of the federal poverty level or are in foster care, automatically qualify for the program.
The program is just one way to make sure students aren’t forgotten about and are ready to learn when they come back to school in the fall.
“We hope to close that summer gap so that children won’t be hungry during the summer months, as many have been in years past,” Harvey said.
SUN Bucks benefits will be distributed starting Friday, June 14.
Families and kids who currently receive food and nutrition services like food stamps will see their SUN Bucks loaded onto their current EBT cards. All others will get a SUN Bucks card in the mail. Any store that accepts EBT cards will take these SUN Bucks benefits as well.
North Carolina is one of only three states in the Food and Nutrition Services Southeast Region to take advantage of this new USDA program.
Wake County public schools will get more money in local funding, and many homeowners can expect higher property tax bills after this year’s property revaluation.
Wake County leaders are increasing the property tax rate in the county manager’s recommended budget to provide $58.3 million in additional local funding to the Wake County Public School System.
But that falls short of the $63.2 million in additional funding that school leaders said they needed.
The Wake County Board of Commissioners approved the budget unanimously Monday evening. Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson was excused and absent from the meeting.
This budget debate “felt more painstaking” that previous debates in recent years, said Wake County Vice Chair Susan Evans.
Fast budget facts
The $2.1 billion budget is a 10.7% increase over the current year’s budget.
The approved property tax rate is 51.35 cents per $100 of assessed property value, or 0.3 cents over the county manager’s proposal. That’s higher than the rate Wake County would have needed to set at 46.36 cents per $100 to maintain the same level of revenue.
The current rate is 65.7 cents per $100.
The new budget is effective July 1.
WCPSS funding
The Wake County Public School System will get 58.3 million in local funding, or a 9% increase, over the current budget.
The school board’s request would fund 4% raises, institute a $17.75-per hour minimum wage for “non-certified staff” and a $20-per hour minimum wage for bus drivers.
Several WCPSS teachers and employees rallied during the county’s budget public hearings, calling on the elected leaders to fully fund the school board’s request.
School employees should be paid “livable, comparable wages” to those of county workers, said Christina Spears, president of the Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators.
Many placed blame on the North Carolina General Assembly for not providing enough funding for local schools, but asked local leaders to make up the difference.
“We understand that the state has failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to fully fund the public educational system instead choosing to invest in private school vouchers with little-to-no-income limit nor oversight and in charter schools with limited oversight,” said Teresa Jones, president of the Wake PTA Council. “But the Wake County Commission is uniquely positioned to ensure that all children within its borders do not suffer from the legislature’s failure to invest in them.”
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Anna Johnson covers Raleigh and Wake County for the News & Observer. She has previously covered city government, crime and business for newspapers across North Carolina and received many North Carolina Press Association awards, including first place for investigative reporting.
Ryan Berglund of Millbrook High School in Raleigh was named the Wake County school system’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Wake County Public School System
RALEIGH
A Millbrook High School teacher who overcame dyslexia and now works at his alma mater has been named Wake County’s top educator.
Ryan Berglund, a Sustainable Agriculture Academy teacher at Millbrook High in Raleigh, was named the 2024 Wake County Teacher of the Year at a ceremony Monday night. Like a growing number of educators, teaching is a second career for Berglund.
Berglund was a professional welder and equipment fabricator before becoming a teacher at Millbrook in 2019. That prior experience has benefited his students.
Wake says Berglund is the only agriculture teacher in North Carolina that is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector. Under his mentorship, 64 students have become certified welders ready to enter the workforce upon graduation.
During his acceptance speech, Berglund said he tells his students he’ll work harder than they will. But he also tells them they’ll be able to do something successful when they work harder than him.
“I always will put as much possible as I can into it, but I need them to put in more in than I am, and when they’re doing that you’ll see the true success,” Berglund said. “We’re able to see that every single day In the programs that we have and what our students are currently doing.”
Dyslexia helps him relate to students
Berglund said being diagnosed with dyslexia and short-term memory loss in the third grade helped shape how he now interacts with his students. Berglund took special education classes to learn how to read and write.
“In resource classes, I was able to see how students with disabilities have been given a different lens to look through that is not right or wrong, just different,” Bergulund said in his Teacher of the Year portfolio. “This is a mindset I try to instill in all of my students.”
Berglund graduated from Millbrook High. He has a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Mount Olive.
Berglund helped implement Millbrook’s Supervised Agriculture Experience program that allows over 350 students annually to gain work-based learning experiences. Students in the program have started businesses, worked with local agriculture enterprises and created their own service programs.
”I’m super, super excited to able to say that this year’s Wake County Teacher of the Year is also supporting our number one industry: which is agriculture,” Berglund said.
Last year’s Wake Teacher of the Year also had not planned on being a teacher. Terry Hennings was a U.S. Air Force medic with 25 years of military experience before he became a Civic Literacy and African American Studies teacher at Garner High School.
WCPSS Teacher of the Year finalists
Berglund was chosen among the Teacher of the Year winners for each individual school. The list was whittled to 10 finalists:
▪ Juan Cruz, a fifth-grade teacher at Buckhorn Creek Elementary in Holly Springs
▪ Susan Ennis, a career and technical education/science teacher at Leesville Road High in Raleigh
▪ April Guenzler, an Intervention teacher at Lockhart Elementary in Knightdale
▪ Monica Hall, a kindergarten teacher at Timber Drive Elementary in Garner
▪ Kelly Hurry, a second-grade teacher at Laurel Park Elementary in Apex
▪ Whitney Masterson, an eighth-grade science teacher at Mills Park Middle in Cary
▪ Madison Parker, a special education teacher at Alston Ridge Elementary in Cary
▪ Karen Rahe, a sixth-grade math teacher at Dillard Drive Middle in Raleigh
▪ Ashely N. Smith, a seventh-grade English language arts teacher at Zebulon Middle
Berglund’s prize package includes a $1,000 check. He’ll also get use of a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, compliments of Capital Chevrolet, for the next year.
He’ll go on to compete in North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year program.
This story was originally published May 6, 2024, 8:37 PM.
Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer
T. Keung Hui has covered K-12 education for the News & Observer since 1999, helping parents, students, school employees and the community understand the vital role education plays in North Carolina. His primary focus is Wake County, but he also covers statewide education issues.
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WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — A Wake County man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and statutory rape.
On Saturday, Wake County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a vehicle stop on I-40 near Jones Sausage Road in Raleigh.
They found a juvenile — who was a reported runaway out of Durham — in the car.
After an investigation and consulting with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, 22-year-old Preston Malachi Baker was charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree statutory rape.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Wake County Public Schools is now enforcing a new clear bag policy at all high school games.
Spectators will now be allowed to bring one clear bag no larger than 12 inches by 15 inches into events. This includes small, clear clutch bags or wristlets.
Bags containing medical items and diapers are allowed.
All other bags are banned from going inside.
The change comes a year after a male teen was arrested on the Millbrook High School campus for allegedly bringing an ar-15 weapon to a school basketball game.
WCPSS Security Department worked with law enforcement and principles on the new policy.
“We’re seeing it in Durham County, we’re seeing it I believe in Johnston County,” said Wake County School Board Member Sam Hershey. “Given how our society is and what we kind of see and all the unfortunate things that happen at schools and can happen really anywhere, that it’s just another layer of protection.”
A survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics finds the percentage of students who say they’ve carried a weapon or on a school campus is decreasing, with just 3 percent of students surveyed saying they’d brought a weapon on a school campus in the timeframe studied.
Several school districts have filed lawsuits accusing social media companies behind Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook of having a negative impact on students.
Dreamstime
TNS
CARY
The Wake County school system is taking the owners of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube to court, accusing them of creating a mental health crisis among young people.
The Wake County school board unanimously voted Tuesday night to join a federal class-action lawsuit against social media giants Meta, Google, ByteDance and Snap Inc. The lawsuit accuses the companies of financially profiting by targeting children to get them addicted to social media.
“These companies have designed their products to attract and addict teen and adolescent users, using targeted algorithms, constant notifications, insufficient parental controls, and endless scrolling, resulting in what the U.S. Surgeon General has described as ‘just not a fair fight’ between children and Big Tech,” said school board chair Chris Heagarty. “Over one-third of children ages 13-17 report using one of the companies’ applications ‘almost constantly.’”
No fees unless Wake wins lawsuit
Wake joins at least 12 North Carolina school districts in the lawsuit, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Johnston, Union, Moore and Wayne counties.
More than 200 school districts across the nation are suing the companies. Additionally, attorneys representing 42 states, including North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, have filed litigation against Meta, the Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Wake County would not pay legal fees unless it won the lawsuit. The attorneys would be paid a 25% contingency fee if the district recovered money.
Janet Ward Black of the law firm Ward Black Law in Greensboro gave a presentation to the school board to explain why the district should join the lawsuit. Wake worked with the firm in the e-cigarette litigation.
“This is an opportunity for Wake to come alongside those other school boards to help make a mighty force together to be able to change what’s happening with social media and the addiction that’s occurred,” Black told the school board.
Black told the board that social media addiction is causing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and eating disorders among young people. She said it’s forcing schools to divert resources to help students in need of mental health services.
“We plan to change how social media companies operate, in order to safeguard children and adolescents, who are their most vulnerable consumers,” according to the legal presentation. “In addition, we seek to receive meaningful compensation for school boards for past, present and future expenses.”
In one instance, students at South Alamance Middle School in Graham were recording TikTok challenge videos in the school bathrooms as many as nine times a day, USA Today reported. The situation became so bad that South Alamance Middle School removed the bathroom mirrors, and the visits have dropped dramatically.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024, 8:13 PM.
Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer
T. Keung Hui has covered K-12 education for the News & Observer since 1999, helping parents, students, school employees and the community understand the vital role education plays in North Carolina. His primary focus is Wake County, but he also covers statewide education issues.
