UPDATED to include statement by House Education Democrats, added below.
CONCORD – A statement on behalf of Republican Rep. Kristin Noble of Bedford didn’t deny a Granite Post report regarding leaked Signal chats supporting “segregated schools” but talked about segregating Republicans from Democrats and other hot button issues.
The Granite Post featured a posting allegedly by Noble, chairman of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee, from a Signal meeting with Republican committee members that said: “When we have segregated schools we can add all the fun stuff lol….Imagine the scores if we had schools for them and some for us.”
Noble didn’t respond to a request for comment, but the House Republican Office emailed a press release on her behalf that said: “It’s funny to watch the Democrats feign outrage when I thought they’d be supportive of managing their own schools, with libraries full of porn, biological males in girls sports and bathrooms, and as much DEI curriculum as their hearts desire. Schools like that will have terrible test scores because they focus on social justice rather than academics.
“Republicans have been self-segregating out of the leftist indoctrination centers for decades. If democrats had their own schools, and we had our own, families wouldn’t need to avail themselves of the wildly successful education freedom account program. It’s a win / win proposition,” the release said.
New Hampshire House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, released the following statement in response to the Granite Post’s story:
“Segregation is not a relic to be mocked; it is a living scar carved into our schools, our communities, and our democracy. It was built through violence, enforced by law, and justified by indifference. To laugh about it from the halls of power is to dishonor every child denied opportunity, every family forced to fight for dignity, and every generation that marched, organized, and sacrificed for equal access to education.
“Most concerning is that these comments about segregation were made by members of House Republican leadership, including the Chair of the House Education Policy Committee. We condemn Rep. Noble’s remarks in the strongest possible terms. Whether shouted, whispered, laughed about or typed in a signal chat to your colleagues, racism has no place in our legislature or our future. No one who believes in segregated schools should be leading the Education Policy Committee,“ Simpson said.
House Education Policy Democrats on Thursday released the following statement in response to a leaked GOP group chat in which members advocated for segregated schools in New Hampshire:
“Democrats on the Education Policy Committee are focused on providing the best education for New Hampshire students. Nine of ten Granite State students attend our excellent public schools where they learn side by side with students of different economic, political and cultural backgrounds.
“Assuring that all students have the support and resources they need to succeed academically is our committee’s duty and must be our top concern. We will not allow the offensive rhetoric of our Republican colleagues to distract from our work.”