Fact Check: Did New Hampshire lawmaker Kristin Noble advocate for segregated schools?

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Recently, several posts have been circulating on social media claiming that a New Hampshire state legislator publicly supported the idea of segregated schools. Considering the sensitivity of the viral claim, the rumor has sparked attention and debate about its authenticity. Let us examine the origins of the claim and fact-check it.

Claim: State legislator supported the idea of segregated schools

On January 14, a New Hampshire news website named the Granite Post published an article headlined, 'Leaked Signal chat shows NH House education chair advocating whites-only schools.'

The article claims Republican New Hampshire State Rep. Kristin Noble, who identified herself on X as Chair of the House Education Policy and Administration Committee, sent a private chat message on the social media platform Signal, expressing support for segregated schools.

The claim is being widely circulated on social media.

Fact Check: Misleading; Kristin Noble referred to the segregation based on political views

After the Granite Post article was published, in a post on X, Noble clarified that the messages were legitimate but suggested she was referring to segregation based on political views rather than race. 

Noble’s statement on X read, “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.”

Although the outlet published Noble's purported messages, it did not offer any definitive proof that she was referring to schools segregated by race or political beliefs. 

Three days later, Noble shared another donation link on X, calling the Granite Post a 'Democrat fake news blog' that was 'desperately trying to cling to the rubble of their collapsed narrative.' 

Since the message’s authenticity or Noble’s intent could not be confirmed independently, the claim has been left unrated.

Questions raised over outlet's political ties

The outlet does have a documented connection to Democrats. According to the Boston Globe and its own website, the publication is affiliated with Courier Newsroom.

Based on reports by the New York Times and Axios Courier, the outlet had received millions of dollars in funding from prominent Democratic donors.

An article by Columbia Journalism Review described Courier as a 'local news' network and progressive political campaign vehicle, implying that reporting on its sites was not completely trustworthy.