Brevard School book ban issued as protests erupt at Viera, Florida rally
On the last day of June, many people gathered outside the venue under the bright early morning sun. Brevard Public School Viera’s district office decorated with a sign, stars and stripes and a rainbow — and a megaphone.
“Stop banning books! Stop banning books!” shouted a group of about 75 protesters.
The rally was sponsored by the Awake Brevard Action Alliance and was scheduled to meet ahead of the district’s second rally. book review committee meeting. But the school board canceled a meeting scheduled for Friday morning, citing concerns that members of the public were making “threatening” and “insulting” comments and social media posts.
“Why are we doing this?” Director Gene Trent said at a board meeting on Tuesday, just before the committee meeting was postponed. “Because we care about the people involved.”
However, the school board is prepared to change its book review policy, such as moving the public comment section to school board meetings rather than leaving them at board meetings, so that local residents can make their voices heard. I wanted to deliver. So they met at 8am on Friday, despite the cancellation.
Parent Kelly Carvin, one of the organizers, said: “This rally is to let the BPS School Board know that the public is here, we are concerned and will not be silent. It’s from,’ he said.
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“Americans don’t like burning books.”
Amy Lube, the wife of Library Board member Paul Lube, has spoken out on social media about her opposition to the removal of books from school libraries. She said she felt her board was trying to “shut her down” by canceling her meeting.
“I’m the most vocal, so I think I’m an easy target. This is what happens when you fight back against a fascist,” she said. “They’re trying to shut you up, so we need to see them. — We must respond to their energy. ”
Lube often posts on Facebook and TikTok about the school board and the Brevard chapter of conservative parent rights group Moms for Liberty. Her library board resumed in June this year after a months-long hiatus, and her post addressed her frustration over textbooks being removed from schools.
She never liked public speaking, but after meeting her husband for the first time in the fall of 2022, she wanted to fight back against people trying to restrict access to her books.
“Americans don’t like fascists,” she said. “Americans don’t like burning books. We don’t want you here, you’re not welcome. And we have more people than them. Let’s go.”
The Brevard branch of Citizens for Liberty, a conservative group that claims to empower “citizens to defend liberty and liberty” and to “take local government back into the hands of the people,” was also present before the meeting of the Library Board. I was planning a meeting. and to speak in the public comment portion of the meeting. The group called off the protest but encouraged members to email their comments to school board members.
In the first email encouraging members to attend the gathering, Ruth Cowhold, director of the group’s Brevard chapter, offered suggestions for what people could say during the gathering.
“Sit down and force by saying something simple like ‘Please remove this book from Brevard County school libraries as required by law’ or ‘This material is not suitable for schools with unaccompanied minors.’ “We have had our physical presence to assist in our mission to remove pornography and inappropriate material from Brevard County school libraries,” Cowhold wrote.
Rupi Kaur says of the BPS ban:Her books had first been pulled from the bookshelves at Brevard School. Here’s what she has to say:
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Book policy changes
The board is preparing policy changes, including new state legislation, but it’s not clear when the next Library Board meeting will meet.
During a working session on June 6, board members discussed possible changes they wanted to make to the policy approved at the April 11 meeting just over two months earlier. These changes include moving public comment to school board meetings and having the library board make recommendations to the school board on the fate of the books in dispute. The school board will then make the final decision on whether to keep the book on the shelf.
Michelle Beavers, Trent’s appointee to the library board, said she liked the idea of school boards adopting recommendations from the library board.
“If the committee makes the wrong choice and maintains a title that could be violated, those responsible should be given the chance to make the final decision,” she said.
“In other words, if the decision was not the school board’s own, how can the school board be held accountable? It makes no sense not to allow the Board’s position to be put on record.” Obey the law and protect your children. ”
Paul Lube, Jennifer Jenkin’s appointee and sole Democrat on the committee, already feels his vote is “pretty ceremonial” and shifting the decision to board members won’t change much. said it would. But he worries that board members won’t actually read the book before voting.
“The law they claim they care about says (decisions) need to be made on the basis of the whole book,” he said. “There is no molecule in my body that would believe Gene Trent would read these books.”
While they disagree widely about what should be kept on the shelf and what should not be done, Mr. Lube and Mr. Beavers expressed disappointment that Friday’s meeting was cancelled.
“If you appreciate our efforts, let’s have a meeting,” said Lube, adding that he got a new job last week and worked with his employer to take time off for the meeting on Friday. “I read the book, so let’s have a meeting.”
Biebers expressed similar sentiments, saying everyone had already prepared for the meeting before it was called off last minute.
“I’m very sorry that they took away the meeting that we were all preparing for,” Ms. Beavers said. “I contacted members of the board and asked them not to cancel because they were all ready, but they decided to cancel.”
Rube, who has been called a “groomer” since last year because of his more liberal views on book restrictions, disputed the idea that the cancellation was meant to protect someone, and was a school board member at the time. The board said it had not raised any concerns.
“I signed up for this and I’m fine. People will be mad at me,” he said. “I am a big boy and an adult.”
Mr. Beavers said public comments made up the bulk of the meeting, with speakers discussing personal stories that they didn’t believe were relevant to the committee’s work.
“We are supposed to look at the statute to determine if the book is against the law,” she said. “We don’t mind these comments, but many of them are irrelevant to our purpose.”
Finch Walker is an education reporter for Florida Today. Please contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker.
What books have already been pulled out?
Three books, all by poet Rupi Kaur, have been permanently removed from all BPS schools by the Book Review Board, a decision that is valid for eight years and cannot be appealed. At least 30 other books are awaiting review by the committee.
About 155 books were plucked from the shelves of some school libraries after a list of 296 titles was anonymously submitted as an informal request in May. These books do not need to be reviewed by the committee unless the petitioner escalates the request to a formal level.
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