When Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly agreed to speak to students at a local elementary school recently, he never imagined it would end in controversy.

Weatherly was asked, as he often is, to talk to students about his job as mayor. But in order to do so he had to sign a form from Wake County schools agreeing to a list of guidelines for guest speakers, among them not to lie to students, use foul language, wear inappropriate clothing or denigrade any culture, race, national origin or religion.

“The tone of it is so condescending,” Weatherly said. “But of course that is [the district’s] mentality.”

Weatherly said he was only told of the requirement after going back and forth with the school to set a date for his presentation.

“Only then did I know there was a condition attached with the invitation. I responded back that was offensive that they’d ask speakers to sign that,” he said.

He did sign the form and speak at the school, but he said that won’t happen again.

“I felt I’d done it under some pressure. At that point I’d already committed to speak and I didn’t want to get embroiled in a situation with that school or that teacher,” Weatherly said.

The guidelines originated after an incident at Enloe High last year in which an invited speaker denounced Islam as a religion of violence and distributing anti-Islamic pamphlets. The teacher who invited the speaker was suspended, reprimanded and later transferred to Phillips High School, an alternative school.

By signing the form, speakers agree that all information presented will be factual and accurate, the presentation will be appropriate to the age and maturity level of the students and conduct themselves appropriately.

Weatherly said he took issue with not only the lack of trust the form demonstrated between the school district and elected officials such as himself, but also toward the district’s own teachers.

“The central office doesn’t even have enough confidence in their teachers to invite competent speakers. It’s outrageous,” Weatherly said. “If they’re going to invite someone that wouldn’t have that sensibility then jeepers creepers, what are they talking about here?”

School officials defend the policy, saying it is necessary to protect students from irresponsible guest speakers.

“Why would someone not want to sign that form?” said Michael Evans, a schools spokesperson. “That’s in place to protect everybody from the speakers to the teachers to the students.”

Weatherly and other officials, including Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, say they will not sign the form and therefore will not be welcome to speak to students.

Weatherly wrote to schools Superintendent Del Burns to outline his concerns and said he received a brief reply that his concerns would be addressed with the district’s lawyer.

“At that point I realized they weren’t serious about taking any input from the public as normal,” he said. Weatherly compared this situation to asking Board of Education members to sign a similar form before addressing the town council.

“Clearly this is exactly what they’ve imposed on folks. They’re assuming everybody may not know how to conduct themselves,” Weatherly said. “I’m not gonna go under those conditions again.”

Information from The News & Observer was used in this report.