School Faces Backlash for High Cost of Teacher’s Curriculum Request

A controversy has erupted in Barrington, Rhode Island, where the local school district is attempting to charge a parent over $116,000 for access to a social studies teacher’s curriculum. This incident follows a social media post by teacher Benjamin Fillo, who made inflammatory comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk after Kirk’s death on September 10, 2023. The request for the curriculum, submitted by concerned parent Nicole Solas, has drawn significant attention and criticism from various quarters.

Fillo, who was placed on paid leave following the social media backlash, posted a TikTok video that included statements such as, “this is what happens” when “white men have guns,” and concluded with “Bye Charlie!” His remarks have raised serious concerns among parents regarding the appropriateness of his views being shared in a classroom setting. A student from Fillo’s class has also alleged that he made derogatory claims about Republicans during a lesson on the Civil War, suggesting they would support slavery.

In response to Solas’s request for Fillo’s curriculum spanning 15 years, Barrington Public Schools claimed it would require over 70 hours to review and compile documents, leading to the exorbitant cost. A further breakdown revealed that the school would need more than 7,000 hours to examine the 157 courses Fillo has taught, stored across three different learning management systems. The district estimated a cost of $15 per hour for this work, which raised eyebrows among critics.

Solas has expressed her concern that the curriculum might reflect Fillo’s extreme views over an extended period, particularly since the political climate has shifted significantly since 2016 during the presidency of Donald Trump. Her attorney, James McGlone, criticized the district’s cost estimates as “prohibitive and facially unreasonable,” arguing they were inflated by unrealistic assumptions about Fillo maintaining unique materials for each class section.

The school district has suggested that if Solas were to limit her request to five years, the cost would drop dramatically to just $5,500. However, critics contend that the request is justified given the potential implications of the teachings on students.

This situation has prompted discussions about the extent to which educational institutions should be held accountable for their staff’s conduct, especially when it concerns the influence of personal beliefs on students. An online backlash has seen various teachers, such as those highlighted by the account Libs of TikTok, publicly sharing similar sentiments regarding Kirk’s death, further intensifying calls for transparency and accountability within school systems.

As the controversy unfolds, it underscores a growing concern among parents about the ideological leanings of educators and the impact these perspectives may have on young minds. The Barrington Public Schools’ handling of the situation will likely shape future discussions on the intersection of education and personal beliefs, highlighting the need for safeguarding students’ welfare while respecting academic freedom.