South Charlotte Today

The Charlotte Latin School was justified in expelling students whose parents accused it of promoting “woke” ideology, according to a ruling by the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

The court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by Doug and Nicole Turpin, who sued the private school for alleged fraud, slander, unfair trade practices, and emotional distress following the expulsion of their two children in 2021.

The dispute originated in 2020 when parents, including the Turpins, expressed concern that the school was adopting a more progressive stance after the death of George Floyd. 

Concerned parents formed a group called “Refocus Latin." The group met with the school's board of directors in August 2021 and, despite assurances from the chairman that there would be no retaliation by the school, tensions escalated.

The Turpins emailed the head of the middle school in September 2021, expressing concerns about progressive ideology in their child’s sixth-grade class. After meeting with the head of the middle school, Charles Baldecchi, the Turpin children's $30,000-a-year enrollment contracts were terminated, forcing them to leave the school.

The Turpins filed their lawsuit in April 2022, but eight of its nine claims were dismissed by a Mecklenburg County Judge in October 2022. The remaining claim was withdrawn, and the Turpins appealed. On January 2, 2024, the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of their claims by Judge Carolyn Thompson.

The court highlighted the school contract stating that parents must “uphold the Parent-School Partnership” and students could be dismissed if parents “make such a relationship impossible or seriously interfere with the school’s mission.” The court rejected the Turpins' argument that they hadn’t made anything “impossible,” emphasizing the animosity apparent in their complaint.

“The animosity between plaintiffs and defendants can be observed in just the second paragraph of plaintiffs’ complaint,” the court said, where the plaintiffs referred to “cancel culture” and said Baldecchi expelled their children as retaliation for their complaints about “Latin’s recent change in curriculum and culture and its focus on a political agenda.” 

The parents had a contractual right to communicate with school officials about their concerns, the appeals court said, and they exercised it.

“What the Parent-School Partnership did not provide for was for plaintiffs to continuously assail the culture and curriculum of the school, with which they no longer agreed,” the court said.