At least 20 books are being removed from libraries in a Florida school district as the result of parents reading out loud objectionable passages from the books they deemed sexually explicit and inappropriate for children at a school board meeting.
Fighting a nearly two-year battle with the Indian River County School District Board to remove 156 books from district schools, a local chapter of Moms For Liberty strategically took advantage of a new Florida law at Monday’s meeting. House Bill 1069 states that a school district must remove books immediately if the readings are shut down, objected to, or introduced with a censor warning by School Board members.
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Jennifer Pippin, president of the local chapter of Moms For Liberty told the Washington Times that 30 people at the meeting read from 30 different books. All the readings were stopped by Chairwoman Peggy Jones at various lengths of time. Some were given content warnings at the request of Mrs. Jones.
Mrs. Pippin said that although talking to school principals was suggested by some, including Mrs. Jones, as an alternative to reading from the books at a school board meeting, it was important to use the tactic that Moms For Liberty speakers at the meeting used.
“We felt as an organization that since the school board voted to put all of these books back on the shelves [February 2022], we wanted to bring [the objectional book removal proposal] back to the school board and keep the principals out of it … the school board had already voted [in the previous two years] and we didn’t feel that was fair to the principals. We didn’t want to put the principals in the predicament where they would be going against the school board. We wanted to hold the school board accountable,” Mrs. Pippin.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
🚨I was assaulted last night at a school board meeting in Vero Beach, FL by the Fang-ster 🦷🦷🦷! So demonic!
— John K. Amanchukwu Sr. (@REVWUTRUTH) August 29, 2023
I was also thrown out of the school board meeting at the request of the Board Chair by Sheriff’s after reading from a pornographic book 📕.
More coming soon! What a… pic.twitter.com/zDzfiecCjv
Author and pastor John Amanchukwu, who has partnered with Turning Point USA Faith to make himself available to speak at school board meetings against left-leaning policies in schools throughout the country, spoke at the end of the public session, but was shortly removed by sheriffs.
He began reading passages from the book, “Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher that was originally challenged by Moms For Liberty in 2021. Mrs. Jones immediately told him to stop and then as he continued to read, called for the sheriff on duty at the board meeting to remove him. Mr. Amanchukwu left without resisting, but as he was escorted out of the room he made it a point to say that he was a “black pastor being kicked out for reading the filth that’s in these schools.”
Mr. Amanchukwu told the Washington Times that some parents and even school board leaders don’t know the totality of what’s in their libraries.
“Reading from the book allows them to hear content that they have allowed in the libraries,” he said. “That allows them to understand that we’re not just out there chasing the wind. There are clear situations that are taking place where this content is in the libraries and made accessible to elementary students, middle school students and high school students that’s not clean content.”
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
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“I don’t think that any child should have access to pornographic material in a library, in particular this book [’Thirteen Reasons Why’] which talks about [sexually explicit term]. I can’t think of the educational benefit that a middle school student is going to gain by learning about being [sexually explicit]. I just don’t know how this is going to help us compete in a global market or global economy. I don’t know how it would help a student get into an Ivy League school,” he said. “I just don’t see the educational benefit for a student to have this kind of book or curriculum other than for the specific purpose of indoctrination and the sexualizing of children at a young age.”
Mr. Amanchukwu said he feels called to continue talking at school board meetings and hopes a renewal takes place in education nationwide.
“We’ve moved away from virtues and values in the public school system, to now gender theory, queer theory, intersectionality, critical race theory and just a disdain for our country,” he said. “As a result of removing God from education, education has become godless. There’s been this desire to separate children from normative beliefs, and in particular, Christian beliefs. My hope is that we can get back to the virtues and values that should be promoted in public. Hopefully, the work that I’m doing will help bring about spiritual renewal and unite Americans instead of having a divided America. Also, bringing about repentance. The core for revival to come is that their first and foremost must be repentance.”
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Alex Murashko is a journalist and the writing team leader for Think Eternity, a site for powerful faith content to help you live the fulfilled life in Jesus.
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