January 1, School Demands $117K for Mom’s Curriculum Request

Wyatt’s Take

• A Rhode Island school district wants $117,132 to release teacher emails and curriculum after controversial Charlie Kirk remarks.
• Parents say it’s wrong to charge high fees for public info, especially after comments about Kirk’s assassination.
• Calls for transparency are growing as families question public school accountability.

A Rhode Island mom was told by Barrington Public Schools it would cost her $117,132 to see a teacher’s emails and materials after that teacher called Charlie Kirk “a piece of garbage” right after Kirk was killed publicly on September 10.

Nicole Solas asked for social studies teacher Benjamin Fillo’s emails containing the word “Trump” and all his teaching resources, but the district said these records would come with a huge bill.

After Fillo’s online video bashing Kirk gained attention, the district put Fillo on leave. In the video, Fillo claimed Kirk “hated the LGBTQ community” and “hated women’s rights.” Then, he said, “What a piece of garbage. Look what happens. … Bye, Charlie!”

The breakdown of charges was $380 for emails since September 2024 with “Trump,” $719 for older emails with the same word, and over $116,000 for curriculum materials already funded by taxpayers.

“This estimate that we received is exorbitant, completely unreasonable, just to get the curriculum materials,” Solas told reporters.

She said reviewing what’s taught is the only way parents can know what’s happening in public school classrooms.

Another parent, Morgan Hollenbrook, called the school’s price “shocking.” She said, “Taxpayers have a right to this information that should be readily available, and the actions of BPS lead one to believe that there’s something to hide.”

Heather Ryan, whose child attends Barrington High, said, “It is disturbing that a man is permitted to politically indoctrinate children and celebrate political assassinations of people that he disagrees with. No Christian family of any partisan ideology should feel comfortable with Ben Fillo teaching their child behind closed doors.”

Kiela Daley, a mom with three kids in the school district, added, “Transparency in the classroom is essential for maintaining trust between educators and families. Parents have the right to see what is being taught without having to pay an astronomical fee to disclose that information.”

Daley continued, “Teachers have a powerful influence on students, and it is their responsibility to promote independent thought, not any particular ideology.”

Families are demanding more openness, saying students should feel safe and parents deserve to know what’s happening in public schools.

Read more details here: Full story at Fox News

Wyatt Matters

Open government and honest curriculum are kitchen-table values. All parents have the right to know what’s taught in school without being hit by sky-high fees or stonewalled by bureaucracy. This fight is about keeping our schools transparent and holding the system accountable to the people who pay the bills–hardworking American families.