New Hampshire GOP Lawmaker Defends Praise of 'Segregated Schools' After Leaked Signal Messages

Scandals tied to the encrypted messaging app Signal continue to surface within Republican circles. In New Hampshire, a newly leaked Signal conversation has put state Rep. Kristin Noble — the chair of the House Education Policy and Administration Committee — at the center of controversy after messages appeared to endorse "segregated schools."

The leaked messages. On Wednesday, The Granite Post published screenshots of Signal messages that seem to show Noble telling another Republican committee member, "when we have segregated schools we can add all the fun stuff lol," and adding, "imagine the scores though if we had schools for them and some for us." The reports describe the messages as screenshots of private exchanges; the outlet and The Boston Globe reported on the surfaced material and its context.

Legislative context. The Boston Globe notes that Noble has co-sponsored legislation to bar the promotion of certain "worldviews" in K-12 public schools, language that explicitly targets critical race theory (a term often used by critics to oppose school discussions of systemic racism) and what the bill labels "LGBTQ+ ideologies." Critics say those provisions would limit how schools teach about race, gender and identity.

Her response. After Democrats publicly rebuked the reported messages, Noble reposted a social-media statement that included a fundraising link and a confrontational explanation. The post said, in part:

New Hampshire State Representative Kristin Noble at the 2022 Hazlitt Summit hosted by the Young Americans for Liberty Foundation at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport in Orlando, Florida.(Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)

"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."

Her statement went on to argue that "Republicans have been self-segregating out of the leftist indoctrination centers for decades," suggesting the comments referred to political — not racial — separation. Observers and critics have questioned whether that explanation adequately addresses the apparent racial overtones of the leaked messages.

Political reaction and implications. New Hampshire Democrats publicly condemned the remarks, while the House Republican Office issued a defiant defense on behalf of Noble. The episode arrives amid a broader national debate over education, curricula and how public schools address race and LGBTQ+ issues — and at a time when critics say some national Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump and MAGA-aligned voices, have embraced rhetoric that appears to normalize segregationist or racially polarized policies.

What to watch next. Reporters and local officials may seek further confirmation of the messages' provenance and any disciplinary or legislative fallout. Voters and advocacy groups are likely to press Noble and fellow lawmakers for clarification about the intent and policy implications of both the messages and the bills she supports.

Readers can judge whether Noble’s clarification is a credible interpretation or a deflection from what many view as an explicit endorsement of segregation.