Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its policy statement on corporal punishment in the public schools, calling for the practice to be abolished in all states by law and replaced by alternative forms of student behavior management.
Category Archives: opinion
Opinion | Latest Political Power Grab will Hit North Carolinians at Home
The energy transition could help our democracy flourish. But, in North Carolina, powerful industries and their political allies are doing everything they can to roll back progress – wasting our money and keeping us locked into an outdated and polluting fossil fuel economy.
Opinion | The NC Legislature’s Irresponsibly Undisciplined Budgeting
Imagine yourself in the following situation: Your children lack decent clothing and shoes and depend on reduced-price school meals to meet their weekly nutrition requirements.
Opinion | “Big Brother” Bill that Would Establish Dangerous Precedent is Back
Perhaps it was wishful thinking. More than two months ago in this space, I explained why a seemingly innocuous state House bill is actually a hugely dangerous example of big government treading in an area in which it has no rightful place.
Opinion | NC Supreme Court Gerrymandering Reversal Highlights Urgent Need for Congressional Action
In recent years, state courts have been rare bright spots in the fight against gerrymandering, with voters around the country successfully using state constitutions to challenge politically skewed voting maps drawn by both major parties.
Opinion | What Does the Death Penalty Really Cost North Carolina?
In March, an appeals court affirmed the historic $75 million in damages that a jury granted to Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, brothers who were sentenced to death in Robeson County in 1983 and spent 30 years in prison for a murder they didn’t commit, and who’s case was plagued by systemic racism.
House Budget Proposal Falls Woefully Short of What Our Students and Educators Deserve | Opinion
When compared to the current school year, total state funding for public schools would increase just 0.7 percent under the House budget.
A Terrible Bet: North Carolina Should Not Cave In to the Sports Gambling Onslaught | Opinion
North Carolina elected leaders have enacted several ineffective and misleading laws over the years, but when it comes to undermining public confidence in government and taking advantage of vulnerable people, the badly misnamed “education lottery” has to be near the bottom of any “worst of” list.
Opinion | UNC Chapel Hill Trustees Misfire with Rushed and Ill-Conceived Plan to Launch Conservative School
Two weeks ago, the UNC Board of Trustees arrived in Chapel Hill hellbent on launching yet another salvo in the campus Culture Wars.
Watchdog or Lapdog? New GOP Court Filings Test the Independence and Legitimacy of the NC Supreme Court | Opinion
There are many factors that go into building and sustaining a strong and healthy democracy: free, clean and transparently funded elections; inclusive suffrage; freedom of speech and association; an independent news media; predictable and reliable law enforcement; and an absence of widespread corruption.