Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will meet with Forsyth Technical Community College on Thursday to talk about revisions to its memorandum of understanding weeks after a drag performer straddled a high school student during a Pride event on campus in March.
Superintendent Tricia McManus told the school board on Tuesday that after the meeting with Forsyth Tech officials, she will bring a revised agreement to the school board for its approval.
WS/FCS’s Early College and Middle College are based at Forsyth Tech, giving students access to its facilities.
In a statement made shortly after snippets of the video surfaced on social media, the school district apologized that students in its schools were exposed to an “inappropriate dance.”
“That performer’s dance was not something students of that age should have been able to access or witness,” the statement said.
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High school freshmen are typically 14- or 15-years-old.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, about 15 people holding signs reading “Education not Exploitation” and “No Lap Dances” stood outside the Education Building on Bethania Station Road.
Several people spoke to the board during the public comments section criticizing the board for failing to take bolder action.
“Your silence gives consent,” said Rachel Dargis. “I want to know where is the outrage that this happened? Why has nobody been outraged and passionate about this? We are. These are our kids.”
Cheryl Groves said that she “never imagined that I’d be fighting to protect my children by being victimized by exotic dancers.”
Another speaker, Dare Luck, said she hoped that the board is outraged and asked them to stand up.
“Satan is coming after our children,” she said. “There is no doubt about that.”
Rachel Rackley, a student at Reynolds High School, spoke to the board to ask for their support for a safe gun storage resolution that Students Demand Action presented at the board’s meeting in early April.
She made a point of saying that gun violence not drag performers are at the top of students’ concerns.
“I don’t know any students who are worried about getting shot by a drag queen,” Rackley said after the meeting.
In a snippet of the video that was shared on Libs of TikTok, a performer was seen briefly straddling the lap of a female student. The student, whose face is blocked out, stood up, laughed and hugged the performer before walking away.
Libs of TikTok is a social media channel that routinely reposts videos that are critical of drag performers and issues involving gender-identity and teachers promoting diversity. The video clip caught the attention of several right-wing media outlets including the national desk of Fox News, the National Review and the New York Post.
The performance at a campus restaurant was part of a Pride event on March 22 that the school’s Pride Club organized.
Board member Steve Wood said on Tuesday that there is a criminal investigation into the incident. Dionne Jenkins, the school district’s General Counsel, confirmed the investigation and said that it is coming to a close.
According to the school district’s statement, Middle College and Early College administrators knew of the event and a drag performance but were not aware that there would be an entertainer performing “in a manner that was not appropriate for underage students.”
Had it known, the school district said it would have limited access to the event.
“Prior knowledge would have also given Early and Middle College administrators a chance to alert parents that an adult performance was going to take place in a space often frequented by Early and Middle College students during lunch,” the statement said.
For its part, Forsyth Tech said in a statement that they were not aware that the performance portion of the event would involve audience participation, “nor would we have allowed it to take place.
“Our shared campus and educational experience provides Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high school students access to all Forsyth Tech facilities and events, unless high school administrators decide access should be limited. They were aware of this event and knew it featured a drag performance, and, to our knowledge, they didn’t limit access.”
Forsyth Tech added that it is reviewing policies regarding student organizations’ use of campus.
In response, two Forsyth County Republicans have filed a bill that would make it illegal to perform in drag in public and anywhere minors are present.
If approved, a performer would be charged with a misdemeanor for the first performance and a felony for a second performance.
House Bill 673, titled “Clarify Regulations for Adult Entertainment,” has Rep. Jeff Zenger as primary sponsor and Rep. Donny Lambeth as co-primary sponsor.
The legislators said Wednesday the bill was spurred by an incident at Forsyth Tech Community College.