001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome as I call to order the April 2025 meeting of the Scammy County School Board. Whether you're joining us via live stream or in the audience, we appreciate your interest in education of students of Escamia County. The mission of Escami County Public Schools is to provide equal access to equal public education and embraces the uniqueness and potential of each student. We're united in our mission. At this time, I ask that you silent your cell phones or electronic devices. As a reminder, there are two public forum options. There will be a public forum for agenda items only, including the consent agenda and student and employee discipline at the beginning of the meeting and then a public forum at the end of the meeting for any item pertaining to school district
002business or public education. Additionally, if you are speaking to any of the items for public hearing, you will be called to speak during that agenda public forum. If you wish to speak at either of the forms, you must complete a form located at the back of the room and bring it forth to Miss Har Miss Harris at the front table. If you wish to speak at both forms, you must fill out a form for both. All speaker forms must be submitted prior to the start of agenda public forum. This meeting was properly advertised in the Pensacola News Journal legal notice number 11088752. It is the tradition of Escami County School Board to begin each meeting with an invocation or motivational moment followed by the pledge of allegiance. It is my month to lead us. Tonight
003we have Sabrina Williams Hopson, a minister from 6th Avenue Baptist Church to lead us in our invocation. And yes, she is my niece. Let us pray. Most gracious and heavenly father, we come to thank you in this moment just to say thank you. Thank you for your love, your grace, and your forever mercy. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to come together to give you glory and to honor your name. Lord, we ask that you be a shield of protection over all students, staff, teachers, administrators, and board members. Please continue to give us the strength as we continue this journey you have placed before us. Love on us and never leave us. Forgive us for our sins. We thank you and we praise your name. enable us to continue to reach, teach and tell
004somebody about Jesus. We ask all these blessings in the mighty name of Jesus we pray and as the people God we say amen. Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. At this time, we'll move to the adoption of the agenda. Mr. Superintendent, are there any additions or deletions to your recommended agenda? Yes, sir. Mr. Williams, item 24, consent, finance procurement. Items P, Q, and R have been added. Item 41, consent, superintendent. Item B has been deleted. State statute and school board rules require that changes made to the agenda after publication be based on a finding of good cause determined by the person designated to presside over the meeting and stated in the record.
005Do I have a motion to adopt the agenda? So moved. I'll second. Thank you. Any discussion? Seeing none, please vote. approved five to zero. Thank you. Moving into committee and department reports and special recognition. Mr. Superintendent, we will start with PTA update. Yep. Miss Gamble. Thank you for being here. Good evening and thank you for allowing me to bring an update on PTA in Escambia County. On March 27th, we celebrated 51 students from seven schools who placed at the county council level for National PTA's Reflections Arts Program. Thank you to board chair David Williams and board members Mrs. Bgosh and Mr. Herrell for attending. These 51 students submissions were forwarded to Florida PTA for state level judging. It was just announced yesterday that six of our students placed at state level as either merit or
006honorable mention. We congratulate each of them for sharing their artistic creations for the reflections program in Escambia County. On April 5th, the ECC PTA held their spring leadership training made possible by a United Way of West Florida miniigrant. Our guest instructors were from Florida PTA and National PTA and provided in-depth information on running a PTA leadership and programs such as National PTA's Healthy Minds. We also provided a little fun with door prizes from our sponsors such as Texas Roadhouse, Okconor Family McDonald's, Splash City Adventures, and Walmart along with the custom table decor creations made by our very own treasurer, Deep Pettit. Yard Love of Pensacola provided a 24-hour yard sign for one lucky local unit in attendance. It was a great day of training for current and future PTA leaders. I close this evening with
007announcing we successfully reinstated Oakrest Elementary PTA on April 2nd. We are excited to have this dedicated group of parents, teachers, and community leaders as our newest PTA officers. This makes 30 local unit PTAs in Escambia County. Thank you for your time for letting me update you on the PTA in Escambia County. Next we have Stella employee of the month. [Music] I may not may not need to read the script. Escambia County Public Schools Office of Community Involvement is proud to recognize Miss Denise Simmons as a stellar employee for the month of April 2025. Miss Simmons, please come forward with your co-workers, family, and friends. Denise Simmons serves as the administrative clerk at Pine Meadow Elementary. Denise has been with the district for 26 years and Pine Meadow Elementary for 10. Miss Simmons embodies the essential
008qualities that an administrative clerk should demonstrate, and she does it consistently. As the first point of contact for parents and students at Pine Meadow Elementary, she greets everyone with a warm smile and addresses them by name, creating an inviting and comfortable atmosphere. Her friendly demeanor, which welcomes all who enter the school, ensures that stakeholders feel at ease when discussing any questions or concerns they may have. Miss Simmons demonstrates exceptional efficiency in maintaining records and communicating with other schools. She promptly completes records requests, including the documentation of receipt times and dates, ensuring that all communications are diligently managed. Under her leadership, the office operates seamlessly, and both administrators and staff appreciate her meticulous attention to detail. Miss Simmons consistently s strives for excellence in her work. She creates and fosters in our hallways that align with
009the school's theme, enhancing the atmosphere of the school environment. Additionally, additionally, she ensures that parent communications are distributed promptly and that questions and concerns from parents are addressed swiftly, fostering a strong connection between the school and home. Can you do anything with a car rider line, Miss Simmons? I wish. Pine Meadow Elementary is fortunate to have Miss Simmons as part of their team. Her positive demeanor, infectious smile, and strong work ethic contribute significantly to creating a welcoming and uplifting atmosphere. Denise Simmons is stellar because of her excellent work ethic and dedication to the staff and students throughout our school district. She contributes to the healthy culture that supports high performing teachers, leaders, and staff. It is for these reasons and so many others that she has been selected as our stellar employee of the month
010for April 2025. Miss Simmons will receive a plaque, a pen, and a check for $100 from members first. Y'all come around with me and help me greet her. [Music] Isn't it wonderful? All right. Yeah, just beautiful. got to come back and say something. Good evening to the board, the superintendent Leonard. I thank God for blessing me all these years to work such a wonderful group of people both past and present. I thank God for Mrs. Morris, Mrs. H who are amazing leaders and all my amazing co-workers, faculty and staff at Pine Meta Elementary. Thank you to my loving and supportive family who have listened to my school stories all the time. I started employing with the Scami County School District here at the J Hall Center where Miss Ivon Gray, Mr. Paul Fesco and Miss
011Paula Martin gave me my start in this county school district. I worked at Pine Meadow for 10 years and I wasn't sure if I was going to like the school life when it came time for me to leave the hall center, but I have loved it and embraced it and all that it has to offer. If I were to write a book about my time in the school district, it would be mostly be about all the amazing and interesting people that I met over the years and all the lasting friendships that I've built. I am so humbled by this experience and I'm thankful to you all and I love you all. Thank you. or where is the tiara? That's what I'm wondering, too. Okay. Next, we're going to recognize some of our schools from an
012outstanding accomplishment standpoint. It is my honor to present to you the 2023 2024 PBIS MTSS model school recipients. This year we have three schools that met the requirements to come to become a PBIS model school. PBS PBIS is the application of evidencebased strategies and systems to assist schools to increase academic performance, increase safety, decrease problem behavior, and establish positive school cultures. This process is a team-based approach that relies on a strong collaboration between families and professionals. All of these individuals are from a variety of disciplines regardless of the level implemented. Escambia County schools have been recipients of PBIS model school status for over 14 years. All model schools must demonstrate an overall effectiveness of their tier one behavioral data and use this data to develop a plan of action that ensures equitable behavior outcomes for
013all students. Miss Stephanie Ham, who's a proud grandmother again, so we're very happy to have her with us. district coach for PBIS will announce our PBS model schools for the 2324 school year. Thank you. Thank you, Superintendent. It is my privilege to announce the following schools as bronze level model schools. First, we have Blue Angel Elementary School with principal Jane Murphy and PBIS coach Gary Southworth. [Applause] Stand up here. Next we have Ernest Ward Middle School with principal Tyanna Bolander. Assistant principal Don Enman, PBIS coach Ashley Dunford and Tony Will Coxson, RTI coordinator Ernest Ward. That's right. In the 2021-22 school year, Florida PBIS created a platinum level for model schools. This award is given to schools who not only show strong implementation at the tier one level of behavior management, but also demonstrates successful
014implementation at both the tier 2 and tier three levels of behavior support. This year we have the honor of presenting the platinum level award to Navy Point Elementary School with Mr. Jacob Freeman, assistant principal, and Miss Don Polus, PBIS coach. That presents our model school for the 2023 24 school year. [Applause] One more one more item, Mr. Chair. Over the last couple of days, I forwarded you one today. Um, some very positive recognition for a bunch of our teachers and they're so welld deserving. So, let me read this proclamation. Um, whereas the dedicated teachers of Escambia County Public Schools serve the families of more than 36,000 36,000 students through building partnerships with them and their communities. And whereas they commit tremendous amounts of time preparing meaningful and engaging lessons while promoting safe and welcoming classroom
015environments. And whereas our educators serve as exemplary role models for both students and the community, demonstrating the qualities of active and productive members of society. They foster children's interest, enhance their self-belief, and assist them in recognizing the opportunities that await them. And whereas the future of our county, state, and country depends on us delivering a world-class education to our students, thus maintaining a productive citizenry. Whereas effective educators have a profound and enduring impact on the lives of their students, families, and communities. By fostering the growth and development of our children, they contribute to the strength of our community. These professionals deserve our sincere gratitude and appreciation. And whereas Escambia County Public Schools honors and commends the dedicated teachers in our district for their efforts in preparing students for a successful future and helping them realize
016their full potential. Now therefore, be it resolved that the school board of Escambia County, Florida, does hereby proclaim May 5th through the 9th, 2025 as teacher appreciation week and May 6th, 2025 as teacher appreciation day in Escambia County. Be it further resolved that a copy of this proclamation be spread upon the minutes of the regular meeting of said board and duly approved this 15th day of April 2025. Chair I move the adoption of the proclamation. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. approved five to zero. I have a meeting I think it's Thursday with two of our teach one of our teacher leaders uh that represents from the Escambia Education Association. Uh Mr. Williams and I will have these documents signed and we'll be able to present that hopefully to Mrs. Warren at the beginning of
017that meeting. So, thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Superintendent. We'll now begin the agenda public forum. All forms must be submitted at this time. The purpose of the agenda public forum is to allow members of the public to address the school board regarding any item on tonight's agenda, including items for public hearing. Speakers must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the policy and posted on the agenda. You are expected to be respectful in your address to the board. You're also asked to use titles and not individual names. Personal attacks against schoolboard members, superintendent, staff, employees will not be tolerated. Please direct your comments to the chair. Personal attacks against other speakers and outbursts during another speaker's time will also not be tolerated. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you will be warned by
018the chair and subject to removal if violations continue. Each speaker will be allotted three minutes. Miss Odin will serve as parliamentarian. Miss Buzzwell is the timekeeper. We'll start the timer with your opening remarks. The buzzer will sound. When your time has elapsed, when the timer sounds, please bring your comments to a close. And after reading all of that, we do not have any agenda public floors, but you are well aware. Next on the agenda is is approval of the minutes. The first item is March 13th regular workshop. So moved. I'll second. It's been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Okay. Were you were you asking by hand? Well, wait a minute. What you what say Holland? They came back. You want them to vote? Y'all try. Okay. Okay. Approve 5 to zero.
019Next is item B, March 18th regular meeting. I'll move the minutes. I'll second. Been moved and second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. What you need? H y'all try. Okay. They don't have anything to choose from. Okay. Approve five to zero, Mr. Whis. Yes. Thank you. Thank y'all. Uh moving into number five, moving into administrative appointments. I get a motion. I move the adoption of the appointments suggested by the superintendent. I'll second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Signify by raising your hand. Approve 5. Let's let's let's go with what we did. He's I saw her writing it down. So, you good, Holly? All right. Thank you. Um, it is my my pleasure and my honor to introduce to you Britlin Luciano. Britlin, if you'll come forward. Britlin is a teacher at West Florida Tech
020and she is project manager at Sednet Fiddlers. Come on up. and you did pretty good with my name. Thank you very much. All right. Good evening. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank the school board for approving my appointment as a Sednet project manager. I also wanted to just give a special thank you to Superintendent Mr. Leonard, deputy super superintendent, Mrs. Payne, um the assistant superintendent, Mrs. Gordon, and um for the opportunity to step into this role. Um I'm truly grateful and I look forward to serving the students, the staff, and the families of not only Escambia County, but all of region one in this. Thank you very much. [Applause] This moves us to item number eight. This brings us to the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?
021I'll move the consent agenda. Mr. Williams, is this the time to We're going to get a second and then we didn't. Yeah. Okay. Thank Can I get a second? I'll second. Are there any items to be pulled? Yes, Mr. Williams. I would like to pull item uh 25 C, leave of absence, please. Okay. Get my number right. I would like to pull 25G sign. Okay. Thank you. Um so no items are being pulled from curriculum and finance operations and the superintendent including student and employee discipline. And at this time, we will vote to on the consent agenda minus the pulled items. So, can I get a motion to approve the consent agenda minus the pulled items? I make the motion to uh approve. I'll second that motion. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. approved five
022to zero. Okay. Now we'll go to the port items. The first port item is 25 C, leave of absence. Um, can I get a motion to I'll make a motion to um approve 25 C. Um, now I'll second. Any discussion? [Music] This is the item that Mr. Herold needs to u abstain from a portion of. Yes. So, um, I I would recommend that there be an amendment. Well, there needs to be an amendment to the motion to exclude Lisa Nelson. Okay. Okay. Oh, can I get a motion to I'll make a make a motion to approve this item minus Lisa Nelson. I'll second. Any discussion? Please vote. approve 5 to zero. Okay. I'll now make a motion to approve Lisa Nelson's request for leave of absence. I'll second it. This is one that I will
023be abstaining from because that happens to be my daughter. Any more discussion? None. Please vote. Please vote by show of hands. Mr. Harold, vote by a show of hand. Oh, never mind. All right. So, it's four four to zero with one abstain. One obstainment. Sorry, not a problem. Next item that is pulled is the 25G, the personnel planning document. Can I get a motion? I'll make a motion to approve the 2526 department personnel planning document. I'll second. Any discussion? um it's not all my first read of the personnel plan and document I was very concerned I came to the page 20 or 16 out of 49 safety officer and of course me being a parent and a teacher was very concerned I thought safety we need to make sure so I would like to get
024some clarification so the public can understand what this means Thank you, Mrs. Burgos, for the opportunity to clarify. This is a deletion of a position that is a hold over from when the protection services department first started. Um the duties and responsibilities of the safety officer is not security, which tends to be the point of confusion. These are not our guardians in our classroom. This is more of a para administrative role. And those responsibilities have now been taken over by specialists as the department has matured and become more specialized in how they do things. So again, not the security the name is a little misleading. That's another reason why we're doing away with it. Uh there were only two of those. We have eliminating one and replaced it with a specialist. Thank you. Please vote.
025We don't need to make an amendment to this one. Okay. So, please vote. Approve five to zero. Thank you. Uh there's no items from the board, no items from the superintendent. We're number 45, internal audit. Uh item A, inventory reports. I get a motion to approve inventory reports. I'll move those. I'll second. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. Please vote by show of hands. Approve five to zero. Next item is item B, hotline report. Uh, can I get a motion to approve the hotline report? I'll make a motion to uh move that item. I'll second it. Any discussion? No discussion. Please vote. By show of hands. Oh, that's approved. Five to zero. Do not have any items from 46 general counsel. This brings up to our public forum. We will now begin our public forum.
026The purpose of public forum is to allow members of the public to address the school board on any matter regarding education and administration of our schools. In this setting, we as board members are not compelled to answer questions or respond to you and typically will not engage in back and forth dialogue in this venue. However, this board and superintendent will note your contact information for response if appropriate. As always, we invite you to contact any of us by phone or by email for followup. Uh meeting times and locations are posted on the Escamia County School District website. Speakers must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the policy and posted on the agenda. You're expected to be respectful in your address to the board. You are asked to use titles and not individual names. Public attack
027against schoolboard members, superintendent, staff, and employees will not be tolerated. Please direct your comments to the chair. Personal attacks against other speakers and outbursts during another speaker's times will also not be tolerated. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you will be warned by the chair and subject to removal if violations continue. Each speaker will be allotted three minutes. Miss Odum will serve as a parliamentarian. Miss Buzzwell is our timekeeper and will start the timer with your opening remarks. The buzzer will sound when your time has elapsed. When the t when the timer sounds, please bring your comments to a close. The first speaker is Mr. Andre Christian, you have three minutes. Um, Chairman uh Williams, uh, distinguished board members and superintendent uh, Leonard, thank you for the opportunity to speak before you tonight. First
028of all, I I wish uh Mrs. Simmons Posi would come up here and support me just for it seems they've left. Thank you for the work that you do and making the uh many decisions that are in the best interest of our children in Escambia County. It is much appreciated. Um I'm grateful that you're also shaping the workforce force of tomorrow. It is awesome and we greatly appreciate your your labor of love. My name is Andre Christian. I'm a CEO of a local nonprofit here in Pensacola. It's the Leah Gibson Foundation where we do work with children helping them to make right decisions for their future. I've seen leadership building programs and inspirational speakers for the last 40 years. Um, and as a proud member of this community in February, I was privileged to see
029the legacy impact live with the founder, uh, Tabitha Christ, uh, Tabitha Christopher as she masterfully shaped the future leaders of Pensacola area. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. She was frankly the best speaker and it was the best program I've seen bar none. Um, I've come here this evening to ask a favor of each of you as board members. With your permission, I would like to forward a videotape of the testimonials of the parents of the children that went through this training. I'm asking um I'm asking that you watch the parents testimonial with an open mind. Nothing matters more or h has as much as importance as the direction and ultimately the results with the children. And I would suggest that the parents and the teachers are the best judges of the positive transformations
030that have occurred with these children. With Governor DeSantis signing the House Bill 1421 into into law in Florida for resiliency. I implore you to find a way to putting this training into our schools ASAP. In addition to resiliency, it teaches mental health, um how to be good citizens, mental toughness, academic excellence, the importance of goal setting, accountability, and other life skills that our children will definitely definitely need to thrive in their future. With each of you as board members doing your best and what is truly in the best interest of our children, when you watch the parent testimonials, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt, every word that I've spoken is true. The Legacy Impact Mind Styled Makeover Boot Camp is nothing short of an answered prayer for the parents of Escambia County.
031I thank you for all that you do. Um, and what is the best way for what is the best way forward for me to send this uh the video testimonial of the parents? So, just a question. You you can send it to me and I'll make sure we get it to everybody on the board. Sir, thank you very much. Appreciate you all. Thank you, Miss Christian. Next, we have Larry DS Jr. You have three minutes. Larry DS Junior Plumbing LLC because feal matters. All right. Hey, I wanted I was going to bring this up to the governor today. I got to got to ask him a question today. It was pretty interesting the whole the whole uh conference. But uh I didn't have time because I wanted to address uh the Florida Athletic Commission Big
032Daddy overreach. So that's what I chose to do. But this is what I wanted to tell him was give him some of the numbers because of House Bill 1341 and everything else. I'm not I'm not for out outsourcing, you know, our parent responsibilities. You know, y'all really aren't aren't supposed to be responsible for the guidance and development of our children. That's what we as parents do. That's what I do with my three kids. And you ask them right now today, they'll tell you that me and my wife was the biggest deciding factor in their lives, which is the way it's supposed to be. But unfortunately, we have some piss poor parents, you know, because of all the government stuff we got. But the numbers for tradesmen is terrible. I've already told y'all that for every
033five for over a decade, for every five tradesmen that die or retire, we have two replacements. That's those numbers are bad. I've gotten some more numbers since then. In the next 5 years, so by 2030, we're going to need 500,000 plumbers in this country. That's how short we are. We're going to need 400,000 electricians. That's crazy. Uh maybe we should put away the tissues, the box of tissues for these little boys. Take the hand sanitizer away cuz they need to get dirty. They need to get they they need to get tough. I mean, this is unfortunately that or fortunately, I should say. You know, the reason it's called tradesmen is because we need men in these positions. We cannot have weak males in these positions. I've raised two sons and a daughter. They both work
034for my company. All three. All three work for my company now. My daughter just came to work for me, office manager. She told me point blank years ago that at 17, she said, "Dad, I can't be a plumber. It'll destroy my body." That's just a biological scientific fact. She said, "Look at what it's done to yours. It's a physically demanding job. You got to have men. So, we need to start I hate outsourcing. I hate it. But these parents aren't doing the job. So, maybe, just maybe, we should take some of that money that y'all take from us and start doing something to encourage these kids in elementary school. Take the library, start putting up a plumber, electrician, a HVAC, a you know, a roofer. Maybe put some of that type of stuff up there,
035you know what I mean? Next to all the service people and the government jobs because we can't run this country with just government workers. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Mickey Price. You have three minutes. I think I always follow Larry. Mr. Chairman, board members, my name is Mickey Price. I'm a member of Marcus Point Baptist Church and a member of the men's group Micah 68. I live in district 3. I am currently serving on a book review committee. Our committee is made up of community members, parents, and school administrators, including with administrators, a teacher, administrator, and a media specialist. In my opinion, no school admin, teacher, or media specialist should be on these committees, especially the media specialist. We should only have community members and parents. The paid school administrators will never vote a book
036out, no matter what. The book I'm reviewing now should in no way be allowed in any school library. My role as a parent is to protect my children. The school's responsibility is also to protect the students. Allowing the current book I'm reading to stay in our schools doesn't protect our children. This book is dangerous and could be harmful to all students. It it was dangerous for me to read it. I had to pray to God to protect me while I read this book. I asked friends of mine to also pray for me. Do you think our students are going to pray for their protection as they read this book? I think not. Psalms 46:1, God is our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble. The Bible says 1 Thessalonians 5:22, abstain from all appearance
037of evil. This book is evil. This book and others like them do nothing to promote physical and mental health for our children. As I have said previously, put books that are borderline in a restricted area of the school libraries. How the parent opt in after receiving a warning on a book. Other books such as the one I'm reading now needs to go. I don't want my ninth grader reading it at any grade level. The world is tough enough for our kids. Let's protect them as long as we can. This book was difficult for me to read and I'm 65 years old. Furthermore, let's get rid of these committees. They take too long and don't really work. Mrs. Vincent is doing the best job she can under the circumstances. I purposely did not give the title
038of the book because I'm still on this committee. If you want to know, ask me after the meeting. This will be my last book committee. I do not want to read any more of these harmful books. As always, I ask you to do the next right thing. If this book I'm reading is not voted out of the school libraries, I promise you I will be back. As always, I will pray for you. And also if if the media people are on this committee, you ought to let whoever brought the book up for uh review too. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Price. Next, we have Julie Patton. You have six minutes. Believe it was donated time from Peter D. Peter D. Okay. Um, thank you for very much for this opportunity to talk and I wanted
039to say some more things about the issue of the ban books. Um, I heard one of the schoolboard members say a couple of months ago on a a meeting that I didn't attend, um, that Escambia is a conservative county and that we owe it to the people in this conservative Escambia County to bring back a conservative decision on the issue of these books. And I guess that I came tonight because I felt that I had to comment on that. Escambia used to be a conservative county, but Escambia is cha is changing very rapidly. Um, and part of it is due to this issue of the book banning and the really extreme positions that are being taken by members of the county who consider themselves conservative. Um, as an example of the fact that the county
040is changing, um, I would just note that Gabe Alamont um, won Escambia County in the recent, uh, legislative election. Um, it was the first time in 20 years that a Democrat had won in Escambia County. And, um, we will soon be in the position, I mean, had had won this county, did not win the race, but won the county. and will soon be in the position of winning more counties. Um, thanks to the uh issue of the ban books, there are book clubs all over Escambia County reading these ban books. you have really promoted the books um in a way that is an unintentional side effect of trying to dictate essentially what everyone should do based on what your beliefs are. Um, I think that the initiative to ban books, um, has really garnered support
041for gay people, black history, um, many foreigners, um, in a number of areas. I think that Christian people and other people all over Escambia County have realized that it's wrong really to exclude huge groups of people um from consideration or from attention because of uh characteristics that are simply part of who God made them to be. Um the other thing that I've noted since I've been coming to these committee meetings is the anger um is one of the most prominent features of most of the people who get up here to speak in opposition to the books and um a great deal of dis disdain for the people for with whom they disagree. And I think that you also are hurting the Christian religion by these very um loud condemnations of behaviors that other people want
042their children to be educated about and that um other people uh really accept as part of how this world is made rather than some sort of anomaly that needs to be condemned. Um, for example, when I was called a pedophile, when I went to vote by um a group that was running um running for election to the school board, um the person who called me a pedophile was a very angry person um and really was in a situation where they had commandeered um basically the whole parking lot that was meant to be for everybody. And what I've thought a lot about religion since I've started coming and one of the conclusions that I've come to is that is that one minute left in my six minutes? Yes. 1 minute 48 seconds in my six minutes
043or in three. Okay. So, um, basically I, you know, I've come to feel that there's a group of Old Testament Christians who really see and recognize a punitive, rulesdriven God. And there's a group of New Testament Christians who look more to the biatitudes than to um, the Ten Commandments. Um, because Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor. that that was really our primary responsibility and that all the law and the prophets hang on loving God and loving your neighbor. And I guess that I haven't come for a couple of months because I've been working on my own capacity to love. I was pretty angry too when I went to vote and was called a name that in no way um really applies to me. And I think that New Testament Christians see the
044New Testament as a covenant between God and the Christian people. Could you please redirect your comments back to public education and if Okay. Well, I'm just going to say that um I think that people who are loving, which is the commandment, um really are people who are very accepting of whatever is and try to take a positive, constructive approach to it, whatever the world presents them. And I would urge you again if you're not if you if you are still angry enough to call people names etc. Um to really look at your capacity to move on to be a New Testament Christian and to show love and um that's your time. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Linda Fossil. You have three minutes. Good evening. I just want to say thank you for continuing
045the book review committees. Every book on the challenge list deserves a review and I have attended several of the reviews and have to say that I think that the conversations about the books have been quite courteous, thoughtful and productive. Book review committees offer several benefits when evaluating potentially banned books. They ensure a more thorough and balanced review process, considering the book's merits and potential impact on students and communities. This helps protect intellectual freedom and ensures that diverse perspectives are considered before removing a book from access. Review committees are tasked with reading the full text of the challenged books and considering relevant reviews and resources. They bring together diverse perspectives, including parents, educators, and community members to assess the book's value and potential impact. A formal process for challenging and reviewing books ensures that decisions are
046based on evidence and not solely on personal opinions or biases. Review committees help ensure that students have access to a range of viewpoints and ideas, including those that may be controversial or challenging. They play a crucial role in upholding the freedom to read and access access information, protecting against censorship, and ensuring that students have the opportunity again to explore diverse perspectives. Review committees can help prevent the use of book challenges as a tool to promote partisan agendas or suppress certain viewpoints. And review committees can understand the context in which a book was written and why it may be deemed controversial, preventing rushed decisions based on misinformation. They can evaluate potential harm that a book might cause considering factors like age appropriateness, potential for misinterpretation, and alignment with educational goals. The process of reviewing and deciding
047on book challenges should be transparent and accountable with reasons for decisions clearly communicated to the public. And I think that the county is doing a great job on all of these parts. A review a robust re review process can help build trust between schools, libraries, and the community, fostering a more positive relationship around reading and learning. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our last speaker, Mr. Richneck, you have six minutes and you have three minutes. Donated from Neil McDonald. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Miss ODM, Mr. Superintendent, thank you for the privilege. Um I would like my objective today is to is to trip down memory lane just a little bit to discuss the same subject uh and um an old problem that continues to be a problem and to offer what
048I believe is a viable solution to that problem. The first school board meeting I attended a number of years ago, um it was very animated and heated in here and it had to do with book review committees and and and it was a case where there were five books that the book review committee had unanimously uh voted to retain, but they were challenged. And when they were challenged and re reviewed by the school board, three members were present at the time. They the school board voted unanimously to remove them. Okay. And uh when I got up to read an excerpt from a challenge book, uh our esteemed representative from district 2 stopped me because at that time the meeting was being live streamed and it would have been a direct violation of FCC federal regulations
049for me to read the book. Okay, that's not good. So this has to do and and I immediately on my very first schoolboard meeting I turned and I addressed people what what we had in the room was a clash of world views. Now I agree we shouldn't be angry about this. This is a public forum. We can discuss it. But we're also talking about the law. The law. and we have to be very careful that we uphold the law both federal and state. Um what that book review committee back then showed was that uh what that that that day that very first day I came it showed that the the book review committee was literally 180 degrees out of sync with the opinions of the elected schoolboard members. 180 degrees out. We're seeing the same
050thing now. And it's not because things have changed. And I would take exception. I would say that there are other reasons why uh Gay Alamant performed well. Uh I give her credit for that. She ran a good campaign. She had eight times more money. But it's not because um the values of the panhandle or Scambia County have changed. That's not the case. um as uh a candidate for your seat um miss uh representative from district 4 without mentioning your name. That's hard. Um what happened in a very recent um uh election was the progressives were quickly eliminated in the primary. And I'm talking about very qualified candidates, teachers, a teacher of the year, five-time coach of the year, an AP English teacher who I respect tremendously and who I count to be a friend. And
051we found that we had a lot more agreement uh than we had disagreement. Um, I love the classics. He loved the classics. But his perspective was as an AP English teacher dealing with kids, teaching kids who were taking college courses. Okay? So again the law says that for example material in the classroom has to be age appropriate, developmentally appropriate, free from u uh explicit sexual content. And frankly uh in the elementary and middle schools there can be no discussion in the classroom about uh gender dysphoria, gender fluidity, alternative lifestyles. It's about educating and not indoctrinating. We still have an indoctrination problem here in the school district. We still have it. Okay. It needs to be remedied. I think I have a remedy. Now, two of you were not here last time. I know you listened
052in, but I'm going to repeat it again in a minute. But I hold unabashedly to a biblical worldview. I believe that men and women, boys and girls are created in the image of God. Male and female created he them. I believe that children are a heritage and the hope and future of our country. I believe that the fruit of the womb is God's reward. I believe that all of you are up there because God has you placed there. And because of that, you will in incur a stricter judgment for your decisions. And I also know that there is something going on be behind the scenes. And whether that's the Old Testament or the New Testament, the book of Job or Jesus teaching himself, we wrestle or Paul's teaching, we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
053There are things going on behind the scenes that are played out in the affairs of men. Okay, here's my recommendation again. If we were to apply the same laws that apply to instruction in the classroom to the library, we would obiate the need for a book review committee. All of these books would go out. Why is that? Because um we have rules. In a perfect world, a teacher, a parent, a volunteer, a grandparent could go and pull any book off the library, go into a classroom and read it without violating the law. That is not the case now. That is not the case. That is not the case. So, what we need to do is adopt a community standard that says this very simply. The same statutes that apply to the classroom apply to the
054library. Apply to the library. If you were to do just that, this problem would be fixed. Thank you. That concludes our agenda items. Are there anything else to the from the from the board or the superintendent? If not this meeting