001Rockwood Board of Education meeting. We'd like to thank the administrative team and all staff and students at Crestview Middle School for being gracious hosts for our meeting this evening. Thank you also to the ambassadors who are here from schools in the Marquette quadrant to assist with greeting and signing in our guests. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct the business of the district, hear reports about our progress, and listen to the community on important issues. The Rockwood Board of Education is committed to the safety and security of all of our students, staff, parents, and patrons. To that end, we are requiring face coverings and social distancing at our meeting tonight. Your cooperation is appreciated in advance. We have reports to consider and business to conduct that are critical to the functioning of our school
002district. We want to remind all of our visitors that we expect the audience to remain civil and respectful at all times as the board conducts its business. Calling out verbal aggressiveness, inappropriate language or name calling is not acceptable. If the meeting becomes unruly, the board may take a recess until such time the audience is appropriate. If inappropriate behavior continues by individuals, they may be asked to leave the meeting. If the audience becomes so inappropriate in their behavior that we can't conduct our business, the board reserves the right to adjourn the meeting. This Board of Education meeting is live streamed for the community's convenience. Opinions expressed at the meeting are not necessarily the opinions of the Rockwood School District. U2 preserves the right to monitor and block inaccurate and misleading content that processes beyond the control
003of the Rockwood School District. We want everyone to have the ability to hear the business of the district, reports presented, and the comments of everyone who is here to speak. We appreciate your cooperation and that you took the time to attend tonight's meeting. Could I please have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? And that passes. Could I have a motion to approve Board of Education meeting minutes for October 7th, 2021? So moved. Motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Anyone? Abstain. Two abstentions. Anyone opposed? And that passes. Next, we have patron comments. I will read another statement. During patron comments, citizens may address the Board of Education concerning issues related to the
004school district. This Board of Education meeting is live streamed for the community's convenience. Opinions expressed at the meeting are not necessarily the opinions of the Rockwood School District. YouTube reserves the right to monitor and block inaccurate and misleading content which happened following one of our meetings. That process is beyond the control of the Rockwood School District. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes. Combining time or giving your time to someone else to speak is not allowed. Only one speaker is allowed at the podium at a time. And when your time is up, your time is up. Please note that at the board's discretion, the board or superintendent may respond immediately to an issue raised during patron comments for clarification. However, our general practice is to respond to the comment at a later time via
005a phone call or written message if a response is needed. We have a stand with microphones ready so both the board and the audience may hear the patron comments clearly. As a reminder, masks are required in our buildings and should remain on even when you are speaking. The board appreciates that you have taken the time to come this evening and we value both your input and your perspective. Once your remarks are over, please return to your seat. I would like to remind everyone once again that we expect that you will remain civil and respectful in your remarks, and if anyone becomes disruptive, we reserve the right to cut those three minutes short. Verbally aggressive language and vulgarity in any form is not acceptable, whether you're reading someone else's remarks or they are your own. It
006will not be tolerated. For your convenience, our three-minute time clock is ready. Our first speaker this evening is Kelly Lloyd with Kevin Lloyd after that. Good evening. For 12 years, my kids all attended private school. A few years ago, we took the leap and switched to Rockwood. I have four kids, but I want to talk to you tonight about my oldest because she's the one that I think you guys really need to zero in on. When we moved to Rockwood, my daughter was your teacher's dream student. Our first year was amazing, and then COVID hit. I cannot tell you how excited we were come November 2020. The day when she was finally able to walk through those school doors again. The day she returned to school, she had a smile that couldn't be hidden. She
007was so happy. She didn't care that she had to wear a mask. She didn't care that she was going to have to stand six feet apart from her friends. She didn't care that she was going to be assigned seats in each class and at lunch. She didn't care that there would be less interaction at school than what she was used to. All of these things that she didn't care about quickly were becoming into her biggest nightmare. She went from straight-A student that was taking AP classes to now getting B's and C's. And while I'm not knocking B's and C's, for my daughter, that was a failure. She's a perfectionist. In January, she started to see a counselor weekly. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, adolescent counselors are overwhelmed. I couldn't get in with any provider after
008school hours. So yes, I now have to pull her out of class weekly to attend therapy sessions over her anxiety. This current school year, she's had to drop her AP government class and replace it with study hall. You see the masks that you're enforced against these children. They've caused so much more damage than you'll ever know. My fun loving daughter who loves school and was excited to learn each day was gone. In fact, it became almost excruciating for her to have to sit through the whole school day. She started having major anxiety and full blown panic attacks. Her panic attacks have become more often and more severe. So severe that several times your nurse has actually had to come assist her with a wheelchair to leave her classroom. Her panic attacks are so real that
009my daughter doesn't think she can breathe. She feels that she's going to die. Her anxiety has increased tenfold since returning to school last November with all of your unnecessary extra COVID precautions. The only hope we had left at saving her was by trying an anti-anxiety medication. For those of you that aren't familiar with anti-anxiety medication, they're also known as antidepressants. Let me say that again. I now have to give my 16-year-old daughter an antidepressant. in hopes that she can make it through the school day. This is where we're at now. Sorry. I'm not asking for you to stop worrying about COVID. I am asking that you prioritize what these students need. For the sake of our children, let there be mask toys. I would never ask you to ban them. There are many that like
010them and would prefer to wear them. I am asking for there to be some freedom so those of us that are suffering from them have a bit of relief and maybe hopefully a better outcome. If the kids were so resilient, the American Academy of Pediatrics wouldn't have to declare a national emergency in children's mental health. Next speaker, Kevin Lloyd, and after that, Sarah Barnard. All right, thank you very much and great job, Cal. Yeah, I don't know if your point got across or not though. It's unfortunate, but thanks for reading that. So what was it, two meetings ago, I remember someone up here was talking about bullying and everything, and you were voting on something. And not a single one of you, I'm ashamed of you for not even asking the question. And so I
011raised my hand in the back, not knowing these meetings that we can't talk. I really wanted to ask the question of saying, hey, do you think forcing children, adults. forcing children to do something that they shouldn't do but also don't want to do, is that considered bullying? Which I never got an answer or an email or response to that question anyways, but I'm asking you. Don't you think you forcing a child to put a covering on their face to hide their face is bullying? Isn't this anti-bullying month, October? I think it is. I think. I might be wrong. But then sitting back, you know, missing last meeting, I heard that Mr. Ripper, you felt that it was necessary to give the FBI's telephone number. Which I don't understand that. In your position, aren't you supposed
012to be on the parent side and be neutral? But you just called out every single person that was speaking out against masks or critical race theory or what have you, because you felt it was necessary to do that. It wasn't necessary. Everybody heard President Biden say that parents that speak out against the school system are domestic terrorists, which I don't agree with. I believe I know what's better for my kid than any of you. And forcing them to do something that they don't want to do and that restricts breathing, which gives you headaches throughout the day. I've had to wear one of these things all day long and I get a headache and it's hard to concentrate. It's hard to focus. Can you imagine these kids sitting in a classroom trying to focus? Also, it's
013extremely difficult to understand anybody talking with these things. So I'm not shocked to see that your guys' standardized testing scores drop. And I'm not going to be surprised next year when they drop even lower. And I wouldn't be shocked to see that enrollment drops because you're forcing kids to do things that they don't want to do. It's difficult enough to be a teenager with all of your body changes, let alone for you to have to listen to everybody police these masks. We have four security guards in here whose job solely is to make sure that all of us keep our masks up. That's really a good choice of our resources. Thank you. Next person is Sarah Barnard, and after that, Teresa Thompson. Hello, my name is Sarah Barnard. I have five kids in this district.
014I have never done this before and that just shows how much what's happening here has called me to action today. I have had many good experiences with teachers and principals in this district. There's many wonderful things happening here. However, the behavior of this school board and administration is what is disturbing me the most. I was always taught to have the utmost respect for those in education and typically that respect has been returned. I can't understand why you've chosen to drive a wedge in this district by setting up a tip hotline. The comments made at the last board meeting were upsetting. It seems as if you are creating an us versus them environment. When the superintendent started, he said he wanted this district to heal and unify. I feel like the actions lately are going to
015have the opposite effect. It will just cause more unrest and division. Throughout the years of having children in school, many educators have discussed the need for parents to partner with them so that we can provide a beneficial learning experience. And I've been more than willing to do that. A teacher recently told me, thank you for sharing your son with me. I feel like that is the type of attitude that this administration should be aiming for. Instead, somehow we find ourselves at a place where parents are being viewed as an enemy, and I'm stunned. Many parents in this district are very ready to work with those here, but we need the administration to take the first step. I'm also very concerned by the focus that I've seen happening recently in this district. It seems like much
016time and attention is being devoted to pushing ideologies and agendas. Schools are not places to teach what kids think, but instead they're places to be taught how to think. It is a parent's job to work with their children with various ideologies. A recent survey in this district showed that only 66% of parents believe the district is going in the right direction. This was the lowest percentage recorded since they started doing the survey. I believe this is a warning flag and we all should be aware right now and make academics the sole focus again. Ask any parent in this district why they move here and why they live here. It's because of high academic standards. I'd also like to ask that the district move to a mask optional setting. Other schools are doing this, including Mizzou,
017and they have 30,000 students. Experts recommend mask use during times of high transmission, and we're not in that situation right now. I find it odd that this school board has never been allowed to vote on this issue either. Districts across the whole state are voting, but for some reason you don't. I feel like many decisions surrounding COVID right now are made out of fear. and they're not based on data. I would like that to change. There's not a mandate in our county, and very few places in Missouri have that. That's why I think it is odd that our kids are still wearing a mask when they're not at risk. That is all. Thank you. Next speaker is Teresa Thompson, and after that, Janet Deidre. I didn't hear anything because this was a last-minute decision. I
018want to know what data you're looking at that my child has to wear a mask every day, and do you know is she wearing it? Because let me tell you, I got an email from the nurse stating that my child was close contact but didn't have to quarantine because she had a mask on. She came home from school. I said, oh, what happened? Well, during flex time, which is 90 minutes, two times a week for high schoolers, they door dashed food, ate it family style and shared a drink. So clearly you don't know where my child is or whether her mask is on or not. I asked her, do you have class with this person who tested positive? Yeah. Do you sit by her? No. Do you know where my kid is? Do you know
019if her mask is on? We have, what, roughly 6,000 high schoolers? Two times a week for 90 minutes? You don't know where they are. You don't know if their mask is on. You don't know who they're with. What is the point of the mask? What is the point? Government funds you're getting from the federal government? because clearly you don't know where the kids are and whether the mask is on or off. Why are we doing this? Second, my child is in marching band. We had a competition out of town. One of the students came walking by in full uniform. I said, why aren't you with the band? Oh, I was notified yesterday on day 10 of my 11-day quarantine that I was close contact. Day 10 of an 11-day quarantine, school finally caught up with
020her. Once again, why? We clearly don't know where our students are or who they are with. Second, as the parent of a black child in Rockwood, I am 100% opposed to CRT. Don't dumb it down for my kid. She's in your honors program. She's been accepted to college. 75% of her tuition will be paid with an academic scholarship that she worked for. She doesn't need you to dumb it down for her. Don't tell her she is oppressed. She is a leader in your school. She was just nominated to do the Every Mind Matters, the peer counseling for that training. So now you want to train my child who's oppressed? to peer counsel other students with mental health issues that your decisions created. Why should she clean up your mess? You made this. Rockwood needs to
021stop focusing on creating social justice warriors and start focusing on academics. At this point, reading, writing, science, math, we are mediocre at best. I will teach my child. You just focus on reading, writing, and math. Thank you. Next speaker, Janet Dietrich, and after that, Kristen Eldridge. Hello. This is our second year in Rockwood. We chose Rockwood on purpose when we left private school in order to find a mainstream special ed setting for our son. He is flourishing here under excellent teachers. We are very pleased. That's the good. Now for the ugly. I'm not sure if you board members are aware of this, and I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt. So here's your chance to hear and to respond appropriately. After tonight, you will know, and all the citizens will know that
022you know, and we are watching and waiting. How many of us parents have placed parental controls on our children's electronic devices or checked out a movie before we let our kids watch it? Most of us, I bet. But then we send them to school where we think they are safe. only to find that they are freely offered books that most of us would consider pornography. But no, there's a new term in the youth book industry. The books you will hear about tonight are not considered pornography. It's a new name called Child Erotica. And yes, Rockwood is full of it. Child Erotica? Are we okay with that? Child erotica makes up the book collections of many child predators. They use them for self-satisfaction and for grooming their victims. These books are loaded with graphic descriptions of
023sex acts, rape, suicide, and dark, depressing lives where the characters have no hope ever. Why are these books here? Why are authority figures providing them to our kids? What are you people thinking? If you don't believe it, listen up. And sadly, this is the fairly mild stuff compared to what else is in the library. This is a book called This One Summer. It's a graphic novel. It's a comic book filled with foul language. In it, a young girl spends a summer learning about oral sex, teen pregnancy, and watches an X-rated movie with her friends. A Rockwood mom found this book, this library book, in her sixth grader's backpack. Next, Looking for Alaska. In this book, which is soaked in alcohol abuse, we have a girl learning how to give oral sex to a boy, and
024then we get to read how it went. These are condensed excerpts. I think I want to, she said, and we kissed a little. And then with me sitting watching the Brady Bunch, Laura unbuttoned my pants and pulled my boxers down and pulled out my, and then she wrapped her hand around it and put it in her mouth. Well, the girl didn't know what to do next, so they consulted Alaska, the boy's sex guru friend. Alaska demonstrated how to do it using a tube of toothpaste. The book continues, Laura and I went back to her room where she did exactly what Alaska told her to do, and I did exactly what Alaska said I would do, which was die a hundred little ecstatic deaths. My fist clenched, my body shaking. It was my first orgasm with
025a girl. Both of these books are available in Rockwood Middle School Libraries. Next speaker is Christian Eldridge, and after that, Amy Kribs. There's not a lot of topics that everyone in this room will agree on entirely, but in light of the recent Me Too movement, sexual violence against women, and awareness of rape culture, I think we can all agree that a novel with a graphic rape scene should not be so easily available to our children. Currently in the Eureka Marquette and Rockwood Summit Libraries, a book titled Crank, describes a torturous scene between two characters. It started with a kiss. Crank rev, pistons firing, full bore, passion firecracked in tiny bursts from thigh to belly button. Oh baby, I want you so bad. Bupa, bad to the bone. We laugh, but it wasn't a joke. Not
026for long. My shirt tore open. Wait. I've waited for weeks. Put up and shut up. Kisses segued to bites, bruises, pain rippled through my body. Brendan, please stop. No, you promised you, little tease. Off came my sharps, down went my zipper. I realized I was in serious trouble. I'll scream. Go ahead, no one can hear you. Still, as I opened my mouth, his hands slapped down over it. Those sublime muscles hardened. Just relax, you'll love it. My brand new Victoria's Secret shred and I felt the worst of Brendan's paws savoring my tear. They all love it. Had he done it in a different way, I might have responded with excitement. Instead, I froze as he pushed inside. There it is. Oh God, there it goes. It went all right with an audible tear, pain mushroomed
027into agony, and all I could do was go stiff. You weren't lying, you B-word. I laid there sobbing as he worked and sweated over me, stoked by the monster. It took me a long time to finish. Give me a line, I'll give you an encore. He pulled away, sticky and bloody, thriving inside, and I didn't move, didn't dare look him in the eye. What the hell is the matter, Brie? I stared at the clouds gathering into gloom, shrouding the moon. My name is Christina. I would never want my two boys exposed to anything like this at school, and I would hope everyone can agree that a detailed rape scene is completely inappropriate for children of any age and does not help the cause of any domestic violence against women. Next speaker, Amy Krebs, and after
028that, Johanna Bodine. Good evening. I'm here tonight to talk about pornography books being in our school libraries. The book I will be sharing with you tonight is titled Gender Queer by Maya Kobab. Gender Queer can be found in Lafayette, Rockwood Summit, and Eureka High School libraries. Before I proceed forward, I would like to share that I will try my best to be respectful and keep it clean. However, you must know and understand what is in the school library shelves for our children to read. And let me add that the non-binary asexual identity is not the issue. I accept and love all God's children. It's the explicit pornography in this book that I am concerned about. Gender Queer is a book that explicitly illustrates minors how to give oral sex on one another using strap-on sex
029toys in cartoon format. along with many other graphic sexual positions and bodily functions. Here are some excerpts from the book. For years, my standard method of masturbation was stuffing a sock into the front of my pants and manipulating the bulge. Here's another. I got off once while driving just by rubbing the front of my jeans and imagining getting a BJ. And another. I got a new strap on harness today. I can't wait to have your C-O-C-K in my mouth. Ma'am. I'll stop there. Thank you. You get the point. Soliciting pornography to minors is a federal offense. As you may know, at the last board meeting, our superintendent encouraged our community to call the FBI on parents that have more conservative views. Exposing minors to pornography is a reason to call the FBI, not on a
030parent that has a different view than you. Our teachers are stressed out. They are on the front line dealing with the extra burden of radical ideologies around sexuality and many other political biased books and curriculum in their schools. Due to the school administration taking federal funds from the Biden administration, these non-academic indoctrinated materials are in our schools all across America. The psychological impact of... Children being exposed to pornography is neurologically overwhelming. The frontal cortex of the brain is the judgment critical thinking center and is not fully developed until our mid-20s. When you have a child that's not fully emotionally and physically developed, they do not have a framework of what's happening. It creates sexual appetites that... are not their own. Exposing children to pornography leads to feelings of guilt, shame, and confusion around their sexuality
031and oftentimes can lead to suicide. You cannot allow pornography to trespass into the lives of our children. It's disrupting their childhood and stealing their innocence. Now that myself and a few other brave parents have exposed what's in our school libraries, I hope Rockwood administration and the board take swift action to remove all the federally funded pornographic rape culture books from our school libraries. Many parents here tonight would be more than happy to donate our time and efforts in tagging and removing these books from our school libraries. Please protect our children. Thank you. And Jennifer will be handing out some information on the books we spoke about. Next speaker, Johanna Bodine, and after that, Deb Michaels. Parents are the number one advocates for their children. In part... the Missouri School Board Association's response to the NSBA's
032letter calling parents domestic terrorists as follows. We were disappointed with the NSBA letter and have clearly expressed our disagreement to them in no uncertain terms. We absolutely and unequivocally believe in the First Amendment rights of parents and all citizens to speak freely and petition their governments. We appreciate the passion parents and others have for Missouri schools and the children we are serving. We encourage... that passion and must create safe places for these voices to be heard. Dr. Ricker threatened parents last week after reading the NSBA letter. We demand an apology and a retraction. I've had several conversations with teachers and librarians since my children have been in school and all agree with this statement. Parents know what is best for their children because no one knows their child like they do. In order to be
033the best advocates for our children, we need a school district that is transparent and encouraging to parents. We need a district whose words match their actions. I will give some examples of where these two things are incongruent. The head librarian and my child's librarian principals and teachers state they want parents to know what their kids are reading so they can have conversations with them about it. We agree 100% on this point. However, the policies and practices of this district do not. allow it. I've asked for and not received copies of book lists for ninth grade ELA. I've asked for and not received advanced notification of what my children will be reading before it's assigned or comes home with them. I'm not interested in eliminating access to materials. I'm interested in participating in a knowledgeable way.
034We also all know that there are kids whose parents are not advocating for them. These are also the kids who are most susceptible to the inappropriate books and materials in our schools. It's triggering for children with severe anxiety and depression to read books about suicide without proper oversight from parents and medical professionals. It's irresponsible to believe that kids dealing with drugs and alcoholism or sex abuse are helped by books mirroring and sensationalizing these topics. They cannot be helpful without proactive communication. I implore you to institute policies that provide visibility to and proactive notice to parents of what is in the school library and the student lessons. The current policies are damaging to partnership between parents and schools, and most importantly, they're damaging to our children. Dr. Ricker and the school board need to retract your
035intimidating statements or you should all resign. Next speaker, Deb Michaels. After that, Elizabeth Cohen. I've been hearing that parents have threatened Rockwood staff for a long time now. It's been all over the news, right? Headlines. Rockwood teachers face threats over equity curriculum. Two Rockwood administrators of color say they have received death threats. Opponents of the district's new diversity and equity programs are posting threats of violence on social media. I was shocked. I have never seen any of that on social media anywhere. If I did, I would denounce it. You never told us specifically what happened, though, or who did it. So we did records requests to find out with Eureka Police, County Police, the FBI, and Rockwood. Of every communication considered a threat by Rockwood. Hundreds of dollars in requests later, here's what we found
036in the records. No proof of death threats. If you have any proof, you should release it to taxpayers and parents. Otherwise, all of us suffer from the stigma. No physical threat. No threat of violence. Eureka Police gave us documentation that the four reports made to them by Rockwood last school year were all closed as unfounded. Rockwood's own communications director stated when talking to news media she was careful not to characterize any of what went on as threats. So you have representatives of Rockwood claiming death threats and simultaneously saying no threats. Which is it? Because this alleged history of threats has led to where we are right now. The federal government says the FBI needs to help out because of harassment, intimidation, and threats from parents. Are you trying to silence those who disagree with your
037policies? I speak at board meetings respectfully about the need for transparency and the anti-police themes and inappropriate content of lesson materials. And I ended up in a TikTok video. called a parent who harasses a certain Rockwood administrator. Here's the truth. A Rockwood administrator recently posted on Twitter about teacher stress. I replied and it was put in the video. Dr. H, I truly believe if teachers were allowed to focus on academics, stress could be reduced. This new emphasis on social justice injects tension, heavy negative topics, and puts them in the position of having to navigate narratives that are polarizing and full of bias. That's harassment. Your continuous vague claims have basically declared open season on parents who disagree with you and given permission to overzealous parents who say they want different perspectives and lessons but use
038public shaming to silence different perspectives in the community. For months now, parents who want social justice lessons have harassed the parents who don't. They have doxxed them online, posted their employers, called them racist, encouraged people to try to get them fired. They paid a TikTok personality to publicly shame these parents in multiple videos. At least one parent's employer was contacted. Because you keep alleging threats without specifics, you are dividing us and causing real, provable harassment against innocent people. Tell us specifics. Stop casting suspicion on everyone. And let's be clear, criticism of how public servants do their jobs is not a crime. being against school policies is not a crime if you want to call out parents go after your time is up thank you your time is up next speaker elizabeth cohen after that linda
039himmelman Our interim superintendent embracing the FBI as a threat against parents who are speaking out for the sake of their children was disturbing, to say the least. I'm embarrassed that Rockwood allowed this to happen. Meanwhile, districts across the country are ending their memberships with the NSBA over this insanity. Parents are allowed to express themselves to elected school board members. Given that countries around the world are exempting children from wearing masks in classrooms, parents are allowed to ask, with passion in their voice, why their own child must wear them in public schools. I hope this board does a much better job picking the new superintendent than they did picking the interim superintendent, whose clear disdain for the parents of the very students he was hired to serve has no place in the Rockwood School District. We
040are better than that. The following is from a column by John Cass entitled, Parents Aren't Terrorists, Mr. President. They're Americans with Something to Say. We once welcomed Americans speaking their minds, even protesting, without dropping the federal hammer on them as if they were terrorists. The novel concept was called freedom of speech, the freedom to express your thoughts, to think out loud. It is one of the freedoms that people died for. Then we didn't have a White House that would send the Department of Justice and the FBI after a person for expressing an unpopular view. But we have that now. Then we didn't have a Patriot Act written to protect us from terrorists, but now used by the Biden DOJ to silence parents at school board meetings with the implied threat that they themselves might be
041domestic terrorists. As if parents who don't like what their kids are being taught in school are no different than Al Qaeda. What are their crimes? They dare to object to racist curriculum of critical race theory. where kids are divided by the color of their skin to be treated differently race by race, decades after many dreamed of equality of opportunity for all. That's gone now. Parents may be accused of another sin, objecting to their children being taught to loathe their nation and turn against them. Obviously, violence of any kind should not be tolerated. But these are local school boards and the local law enforcement authorities should be involved, not the FBI with the power of the federal government. to threaten people into silence. We are not terrorists. We are parents. All this would have been unthinkable
042just a few years ago. A Virginia mom who was born and grew up in China was quoted as saying that all of this seems familiar. The communist regime used the same critical theories to divide people. The only difference is they used class instead of race. We were encouraged to report on each other. This is indeed America's version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Social media which more and more seems like a technology built for inducing hysteria, hatred, and division, makes every problem appear as if it is a simple issue of identifying the bad guys and attacking them. A lesson human beings apparently need to learn over and over again through the disastrous real-world consequences of overzealousness is to be careful about believing too strongly in your own goodness and beware those who are only too willing
043to impose their goodness on everyone else. They are always more dangerous than they appear. Thank you. Next speaker is Linda Hemelman. After that, Haley Rogers. Good evening. I decided to come back because I realized I didn't finish my comments last time. And one of the comments I wanted to share had to do with emails that I sent to board members and administrators in Rockwood in the springtime. And all my emails were returned. unopened. It just, it just like they were bounced back. Well, initially I was like, well, because that was the first time I'd ever done anything like that. I went in and I thought, well, maybe I had the wrong address. I checked with people. No, I had the correct address. So then I've been asking around and I've found that there's other representatives
044in the district had the same experience. That got me to thinking. I thought, well, if it's designed this way. to kick back email so you don't have to read our comments by way of email, then I think, well, who are you accountable to? And I really have to wonder that. So another time, I went to a CRT meeting this summer in Rockwood, and they had placed cards for all the board members. Not a board member was there. They were all invited. There were people running for the Senate and legislation here in Missouri. And I thought, how come they're not showing up? You know, I mean, I was like. You know, in some ways, this is very new to me because when I was teaching that many years ago, board members showed up. People took an
045interest. Again, I said, who are these people accountable to? So I guess I have to ask, do you feel accountable to your parents of the district and taxpayers? And I thought. If you don't, and you're accountable to the NEA, CDC, FDA, Chinese Communist Party, the globalists, then I think, are they paying you and we're not? So I want to find out from legislation, who pays you for your job? If it's not the residents and parents, I think we're the ones that have the authority, not these other agencies. None of these agencies have people that were ever elected. For anything they're appointed and they're appointed. They have an agenda So I'm gonna run out of time today. So I'm gonna have to come back next time too. So I Just say I do plan to look
046into go to Jeff City and find out how are these things happening? You know, and it's not that I want to deprive anybody of their income But you're depriving people and residents of peace of mind, truth, love, justice, you know, a sense of well-being in our community because these things are being taught to children that are destructive. And I guess in closing, I thought everybody, every one of us has a choice to make. We either choose life or we choose death. And that we choose death if we choose to lie, deceive, and cheat. You know what love looks like. I'm coming back. Next speaker is Haley Rogers. After that, Jennifer Weston. So I listened to the last Board of Education meeting, and do you know what I heard? Be kind, but only if we think
047the same. Speak up, but only if it's for DEI, SEL, CRT, masking or vaccines, or any other similar agendas. Be like me, as long as you believe what I believe. Don't listen to a small group. Their voices don't matter. ironic for a crowd that seems to speak for minority groups and against stereotypes, as long as they're not white. Those who shared these conflicting statements ask for unity, but sow division. They want tolerance, but sure teach a lot of hate. And you know what? Those parents and parents like me will never see the same, but that shouldn't matter. That is not why we're sending our kids to school. We are sending our kids to school for academics. It's that simple. And hopefully that's something that we can agree on. Teach the academics. Remain appropriate, factual, and
048neutral. So teach math, real math. Teach science, not propaganda. Teach language arts and writing. Again, keep the content appropriate and neutral. If parents want to expose their kids to more controversial reviews and adult content, that can be a discussion that they have at home based on their family morals and to explore on their own time. Just as some would be uncomfortable with schools teaching about Jesus, others are uncomfortable with schools indoctrinating our children in this way. And you know what? Teach the history. No one's saying to leave any of it out. No, teach it. The good, the bad, the ugly. Just don't try to interject racism where it doesn't belong. Is there racism in history? You betcha. Is it as profound as some would like to suggest? Absolutely not. And that. And if you were
049to teach and comprehend actual factual history, you would understand why so many parents are concerned because we are knee deep in repeating history and not in a good way. That brings me to my final point, Dr. Riker. We pose no threat of violence here. We don't fight like that team. The only threat that we pose is our voices will be heard. You have poked the wrong bears. We are awake. We are done sitting on the sidelines while you brainwash, dumb down, and sexualize our children. While you may try to silence a couple of us through ridiculous means. Seriously, the FBI, really? I can promise you, you may silence a few, but we'll be back in spades. You will hear from us. Thank you. Next speaker is Jennifer Weston, and after that, Alan Loretta. Good evening.
050Over the past few months, concerned parents across our country have been demonized for speaking at board meetings. Parents who question mask mandates and COVID vaccines are labeled anti-science. Parents who don't want elements of critical race theory in classroom lessons are labeled racist. Parents who want discussion on topics such as gender identity and sexuality to take place at home, not in the classroom, are labeled bigots. And our own government has labeled parents who speak out on anything that goes against their narrative as domestic terrorists. Our very own superintendent even read a letter from the Justice Department at the last board meeting and encouraged parents to report to the FBI. And if you don't believe that this demonization is really happening, take note of these examples. A police report was recently filed on a parent who didn't
051break any laws, mind you. The district then informed her that she cannot step foot on any school property other than the school her children attend. Coincidentally, this happened immediately following her speaking at a board meeting about how to file claims against this school district insurance company in the event that a child is harmed from mask wearing. In another example, the children of a private school family in the area were expelled after the parents asked for transparency over their mask policy. In another case, the pastor of a different local church and school questioned the mother's mental health after she questioned the school's mask policy. And as I've already been mentioned, Rockwood parents have been doxed by fellow Rockwood parents for the crime of having a different point of view. This is real. This is happening, and
052this is wrong. Parents have a personal obligation and a mandate to educate their children to succeed to their highest potential. The school has an obligation to the children for education without harming their family's beliefs and moralities. The school's obligation is transitory. The parent's obligation transcends the educational stage to help implement their education. Whereas the school's obligation ends, it has no role in the most critical part. Parents are the responsible party, not the schools. What is the true underlying issue? The critical decision is ownership of responsibility. In this country, the government's existence is based on preserving the rights of its citizens. That would be parents having the mandate and responsibility for their own children. To the parents here in the audience and watching at home, They can demonize us. They can attack us. But they cannot
053take away the obligation we have to our children. Our children need us now more than ever. Fear is contagious, but so is courage. Be not afraid. Thank you. Next speaker, Alan Loretta. After that, Jessica Reisenhuber. Good evening. Certainly came on the wrong night tonight, I guess. You know, I guess what I wanted to say for the most part is. There are a lot of things that we need to continue to work on here. You've heard a lot of them today. When brought up in a context like this, they can sound sensational, they sound awful, and they sound like things that need to be looked at and need to be addressed. What I intended to talk about was I really appreciate everything that you guys are doing, particularly around, and this is going to come at
054a tough time because There's been a lot of what I would consider attacks on Dr. Richter at the moment, but particularly around the selection of the new superintendent. I like the fact that you guys are trying to listen to the community and hear all the voices in the community. I think if everybody listened to one another, we'd hear in many respects, we're saying very similar things, but with little twists at the end in most cases. We're much closer than we are far apart in many of these items. We can learn history. We need to learn history. I couldn't agree more with the individual who said we need to learn all of history, the good, the bad, the ugly. The difference in the mindset that everybody's talking about is learning history is not indoctrination. I'm a
055white guy. I can learn about history and racism and the effects that it's had on our community and on our world and on the people inside it. I can feel disappointed by that, but I can do that without feeling bad about myself. I can talk to my kids about some of the things that they may find if they really struggle to find a book in the library. And having a high school age kid, he's not going into the library to look for too many books in the deep section very often. But I can talk to him about those items that are in those books. so that he doesn't end up as that young man in Mizzou, unresponsive after going to a fraternity party, so that he doesn't end up in a position where he's not
056aware of what takes place in the world, because we can't shelter our children from the world. We can try, and we can say we're going to address it. The average American male youth first comes across porn at the age of 12. 12 years old, you cannot wait always to have these conversations because they're getting it outside of it, not from the schools, from their friends, from their other people along the way. What we need to continue to do, what I encourage you to do is continue to be transparent and talk and then have those discussions because as we're having those discussions, we'll end up in a better spot at the end of the day. Our last speaker this evening is Jessica Reisenhover. So much I'm sorry for all the kids listen to this evening So
057I actually can provide some context to everybody listening about some of what's been happening about the environment in Rockwood. So What happened at a board meeting before the board meeting was two concerned parents went up to students getting on the school bus after football practice and began verbally harassing them and telling them things like, and they're black students, said, shut up. Excuse me. No, no. Miss Michaels, no thank you. Excuse me. I'm sorry. Do we need to ask several people to leave this meeting right now? Can we be quiet and respectfully have the speaker speak? Excuse me. So that parent then went up to black students and said, take off your mask. You're no longer slaves. So my understanding is I, so I heard about it. None of us had any detail beyond that. So
058I waited to see what was going to happen. We never got an email about that. And I complained about that at a board meeting. I even called the Chesterfield Police Department. What I found out is that it is not illegal to go and harass kids on school grounds. So the school did the only thing that they could do, which was to ban these two parents from school grounds because they had already harassed people's children. Come up to my kid and harass them and see what I do to you. Stay away from my kid. And that's how those other parents felt. And then those two parents have been posting that the kids are lying, that they're flying monkeys. So that's what the concerned parents have been doing to children. They have been harassing Dr. Harris. Ms.
059Risenhofer, I'm going to stop you, and I'm also going to stop those of you who are shouting out from your seats. We're not here to talk about specific cases. I'm saddened tonight by a lot of the tone and conversation that's taken place from the people who've stepped to the podium to use their time in this way. I'm just disappointed. That's all I can say. We cannot talk about, excuse me, excuse me. We are not shouting out. We're gonna take an adjournment right now, recess.