If the issue is really about the taxpayers’ money that is funding schools, then why aren’t taxpayers allowed to challenge library books and curriculum in all the publicly funded schools? Why are taxpayers only allowed to challenge books in the public schools, not the charter or the voucher-funded schools?
Excerpts from Cato Institute article:
Book “banning” in public schools does not spring from some conservative cabal. As battles fought all over the county attest, such actions are inevitable when people with opposing values – any values – must all pay for government schools.
I feel that encouraging people to read provocative passages from a book is disruptive to a school board meeting and in violation of DCPS (Duval County Public School) Board Policy 2.26. People can give reasoned arguments on why a book should be banned from school libraries without reading provocative passages out of context. The rules for a self-selected book at a high school library are different from the rules for a public meeting that should be welcoming to elementary students.
The April 1st DCPS Board meeting felt like a fire and brimstone Christian evangelical tent revival. It began with a Christian prayer. Audience members said AMEN when people quoted Bible verses during public comment.
This isn’t the first DCPS Board meeting that began with an overtly Christian prayer. Please urge the school board to welcome invocations from non-Christians IF they insist on religious invocations at the beginning of a school board meeting. It’s a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment for the government to show preference for one religion over another. If you have a child that is a non-Christian and is willing to give a non-Christian invocation at a school board meeting, please have them contact the school’s attorney, Mr. Poole, to ask how students are being selected to give the invocation.
You can listen to the entire April 1st Board meeting at this link:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/11403143
The TU article said most of the people at the meeting wanted the book banned. It was clear that someone had riled them up to attend. They didn’t seem to know what the book was about, they only knew a few provocative passages, and some of them didn’t realize the book was only in a couple of high school libraries, NOT elementary school libraries.
The CDF representative lied at the April 1st DCPS board meeting. She mentioned a man who was removed from the building. He was removed for refusing to leave the lectern; he was NOT removed for just reading from the book. It is DCPS board policy that someone can be asked to stop if they are violating board policy public comment protocols. His “crime” was refusing to leave the lectern.
Excerpts from article by Ariel Schiller found on News4Jax:
“Sixteen months ago, a CDF member was escorted out of this building by five DCPS police officers. His crime? Reading from a book in Duval public schools,” Kathleen Murray with Citizen’s Defending Freedom (CDF) said.
Ariel’s article was posted on FB. Here’s a couple of comments that were posted on FB that has me concerned about what books people want banned:
** All the queer books need to be removed
** Too bad Daryl Willie supports shoving his racist views on everyone.
That last one is a trope of calling Black people racists. I find attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion troubling. Some people think affirmative action policies have gone too far and that’s debatable. I’m sad that debate has morphed into attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This post on CDF’s website gives you an idea of what kinds of books CDF wants to ban. Excerpts from CDF website:
“PBS is clearly engaged in promoting inappropriate LGBTQ+ and Critical Race Theory propaganda to our children,” said Citizens Defending Freedom’s Chief Communications Officer Kristen Huber.
Link to their website:
As always, my posts are my opinions and not necessarily the opinions of the FCFS board or other members.
On Wed, Apr 2, 2025 at 8:58 AM I wrote to the DCPS Board:
School Board Members,
I was disgusted by the political theater you allowed to occur at last night’s board meeting: the new policy of encouraging explicitly Christian prayers, allowing the audience to yell out AMEN, and during public comment allowing people to say words clearly aimed at being provocative. I don’t have a strong opinion about whether or not Identical should be in a high school library. You definitely have the authority to take it off the shelfs despite the fact ( according to Wikipedia) that when it was released in August 2008, it hit The New York Times Bestsellers list. Hopkins has stated that “Some of the material for the book came from friends, friends who are now strong successful women and you would never guess that abuse is in their past.”
Admittedly, I think I would be opposed to it being required reading. However, parents have options to opt their children out of checking out different genres if their child isn’t mature enough to make decisions for themselves when they self-select books from the library. When my daughter was in high school, she was an avid reader. I recently asked her if she would have picked Identical to read and she said NO! High school students are capable of self-selecting books.
Clearly Chair Joyce knew of the political theater that was about to take place because she warned us. Yes, at that point I could have left. But why wasn’t Joyce’s admonition that she wasn’t going to allow people to say things that aren’t appropriate for elementary students? School board meetings should be appropriate for elementary students to attend.
Chair Joyce complements our public schools and makes an effort to showcase them. I appreciate her doing that. I think that is part of the school board’s official duty. However, her allowing the political theater to be orchestrated last night was very disappointing.
And why didn’t anyone correct the people who said someone was dragged off because he said vulgar and obscene words during public comment at a previous board meeting? That’s simply not true. The police dragged him away because he refused to leave the lectern. Are you going to continue to let members of CDF and M4L hijack board meetings in this way? I hope not. I understand they have plans to challenge other books. School board meetings should be appropriate for elementary students to attend. Keep that in mind.
Trump yelling “I can grab em by the pussy” and people still elected him also disgusted me. I am worried about my country and I am worried about this current majority school board and what they think is appropriate in a public forum meant to welcome children from various religious affiliations. Sexual assault does happen. Shielding people from that reality doesn’t stop it. On the contrary, not teaching how to stop it might leave some people ill equipped to understand how to prevent it.
The people who spoke last night in favor of keeping the book Identical on the high school library shelves made a lot more sense to me than the people who wanted you to ban it from the school libraries.
Some of the people who wanted it banned didn’t seem to understand that it was only in High School libraries. Others clearly have a political agenda; they want books banned. What book is their next target? One public speaker said she’s seen CDF’s list and it seems to target marginalized communities. Hate is taught. Treating people, who are different, in a bad way is taught. In my view saying that homosexuality is a sin is treating someone poorly. I’m not a religious scholar and I don’t know if certain religious texts teach that homosexuality is a sin. I have seen articles that make the case that the Christian Bible does not say that. They make a reasoned argument. People can use religion to rationalize their bigotry as they did when they thought the enslaving of “negro” people was OK. BUT we’re not a Theocracy. Please don’t allow religious zealots to take over the school board meetings. I fear what happens next if you don’t stop it now. I feel that encouraging people to read provocative passages from a book is disruptive to a school board meeting and in violation of Board Policy 2.26. People can give reasoned arguments on why a book should be banned from school libraries without reading provocative passages out of context.
This is part of Board Policy 2.26
b. Audience Protocol.
The audience is expected to be quiet during the meeting. Except for the Recognitions/Presentations of Awards agenda items, the audience is expected not to cheer, clap or audibly comment during the business portion of the meeting. The business portion of the meeting begins after the Recognition/Presentation of Awards for the Regular Board Meeting. The audience shall be informed that it is unlawful to knowingly disrupt or interfere with a School Board meeting. This includes individuals who advise, counsel or instruct students, School Board employees or others on techniques for disrupting a School Board meeting. If after at least one warning from the Chairperson, a person or persons continues to disrupt the meeting by words or actions, then the Chairperson shall direct law enforcement to remove the person from the meeting and the building.
c. Speaker Protocol
Speakers will avoid the use of profane or vulgar language or personal attacks upon any individual. The Chairperson in conjunction with the Office of General Counsel reserves the right to conclude a speaker’s privileges to address the School Board if any of these provisions are violated.
I woke up to this story from Jax Today titled Sex Assaults On The Rise;
According to the State Attorney’s Office, 147 felony sexual assault cases were filed in all of Northeast Florida in 2024. Amanda Rodeiro of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville calls sexual violence statistics “staggering” and points out that people from any background, gender or sexual orientation can be victims of sexual violence.
Thanks for reading this and I hope you’ll reconsider allowing such political theater to occur again at a school board meeting,
