State Supreme Court says lawsuit against Charlotte Latin School can proceed

CHARLOTTE — Judges fear more private schools could face the effects of a lawsuit against Charlotte Latin School.

Two years ago, several parents sued over what was being taught in class. Now, there’s a new development in their case.

They told Channel 9’s Joe Bruno that they raised concerns about their children’s education, and then their kids were kicked out of school. The state’s high court says their lawsuit against Charlotte Latin can move forward.

“It was such a helpless feeling to see two young children, our two young children, sobbing, and there was nothing we could do about it,” said Nicole Turpin.

Nicole and Doug Turpin remember September 10, 2021, like it was yesterday. That’s when their then-11 and 13-year-old children were ordered to clear out their lockers and were expelled from Charlotte Latin.

“All I could think about was the headmaster at the beginning of every year telling all the parents how valuable your children are to this school, and yet our children were thrown out like yesterday’s trash, and they’d done nothing wrong. We had done nothing wrong. It was just awful,” Turpin said.

The expulsion and the acts that led up to it are central to a lawsuit that could impact not only Charlotte Latin, but private schools across the state.

The Turpins led a group called Refocus Latin, and they said that following the death of George Floyd, Charlotte Latin changed its curriculum and culture to focus on politicized issues like race and gender identity.

The Turpins say the group took their concerns to Board leadership and gave a presentation where they were told Latin would not retaliate for raising concerns, but Board leadership wasn’t interested in them.

In the days that followed, the presentation circulated amongst parents, and the Head of School defended himself and Charlotte Latin to faculty.

The dismissal would come after Turpin emailed school leadership concerned after his son claimed he was taught that Republicans are white supremacists and stand for racial suppression and white supremacy in action.

“He wrote me back in an email. I guarantee you, there will be no retaliation and no blowback as a result of what you’ve told me,” said Doug Turpin.

But he says when he was summoned to a meeting with school leadership about this issue, he was informed his children would no longer be allowed to attend.

Turpin was accused of violating their enrollment contract, the Parent-School Partnership, which said the school reserves the right to discontinue enrollment if it concludes that the actions of a parent/guardian make such a relationship impossible or seriously interfere with the School’s mission.

“You don’t expect when they promise there’s going to be no retaliation from the board, when there’s going to be no retaliation prior to your going to a meeting, that they immediately come in and retaliate against your kids,” Doug Turpin said.

At the local level and in the Court of Appeals, judges sided with Charlotte Latin over the dismissal, essentially saying their lawsuit failed to state a claim.

But earlier this month, the North Carolina State Supreme Court voted along party lines to allow the lawsuit to continue. Judge Richard Deitz wrote for the majority saying the Turpins have alleged a narrow set of facts that, if proven, properly state claims for breach of contract, fraud, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and defamation.

Justice Allison Riggs dissented and warned of the potential impact to private schools, writing, “The result the plaintiffs seek here would open the door to litigation against all private schools.”

The Turpins say this lawsuit is about making sure parents aren’t afraid to speak up

“We’re fortunate enough to be able to do what most parents aren’t: to fight back.”

Late Thursday, a spokesperson for Charlotte Latin School responded to Channel 9’s request for a comment. The school sent a statement saying: “At Charlotte Latin School, we care deeply about fostering an inclusive educational community rooted in kindness, civility, and mutual respect. Decisions regarding student enrollment are never taken lightly.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling addresses the preliminary issue of whether the complaint meets pleading standards; it is not a determination on the merits of the allegations.”

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