BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A speaker at the November meeting of the Clay County School Board told the board that the election of Donald Trump signals the likelihood of an increase in the discrimination of transgender people.
Echo Nova told board members that November is Trans Awareness Month and November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“The Transgender Day of Remembrance is where we honor the many transgender people who have been murdered or died from transphobia,” the speaker said, “and this year will be particularly tough because of the result of the election and all the transphobia that has come from the election.”
“We now live in a country where the national government will be attacking every aspect of people’s lives,” Nova continued, “including education, particularly things like attacks on diversity, on equity and inclusion.”
The speaker reminded the board that it must follow the law regarding transgender people and requested that the school district go beyond its legal obligations to protect the rights of people with different lifestyles.
“I know that it probably won’t,” Nova said of the district, “because it is a reflection of the community, and the community here is, sadly, under the influence of organizations like Moms for Liberty and others who would rather see the various underserved communities basically disappear and not be remembered ever.”
Other speakers during the school board’s public comment section included:
Says district lax on porn in libraries
Bruce Friedman complained to school district officials that of the 22 titles removed from public school library shelves in October, nearly all two dozen books were removed because of his challenges.
“It didn’t happen because any of your staff read the books or any of you read the books,” he told school board members. “That’s the problem. This has been going on for two-and-a-half years. “You knew there was porn in the libraries for two-and-a-half years, and you haven’t assigned a team to conquer it.”
Friedman told school board members he would not describe some of the more explicit material he found on school library shelves. However, he did complain about descriptions of sexual arousal, pinching a girl’s behind in a junior high school book, and bra-snapping.
“There are hundreds of books I have found where virginity is trivialized,” he complained. “It’s dismissed. Girls lose their virginity. Boys lose their virginity, and it’s just another day at the beach. No big deal.”
In addition to complaining about the district’s ineffective library monitoring, Friedman denounced book purchases.
“This is trash,” he said. “Our kids have a literacy problem. This is not how you solve it. Buy better books. Our kids deserve better.”
Claims schools are not accountable
Sheila Torres told board members that when some students complain about a classroom atmosphere that makes learning difficult, the objecting students get into trouble for complaining.
The parent also said she requested to see a video of her son’s classroom and was allowed to view a recording that was not in the time period she asked for.
Torres also claimed that a principal of one school is covering up fights at a school, and other incidences are being swept under the rug.
Said district is violating ADA
Jeffery Marshall told board members that if anyone with a service animal wants to bring it on a school campus, district rules require the person to make a request 10 days before the animal’s entry onto campus. The rule also requires the dog’s owner to provide the district with vaccination records.
Marshall added that the rule violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Florida Statutes.
“I’ve attended school functions and have volunteered for a couple of years,” the speaker said. “I’ve never made these requests. I’ve never provided vaccination records. I just became aware of this policy recently, and I will not make a written request or provide vaccination records as it is not in compliance with the ADA. I ask the board to please review the section and update it accordingly.”
After Marshall spoke, School Board Attorney Jeremiah Blocker said the district is reviewing its policies. He advised that the board not change its policies regarding service animals until the review is complete.
