Parents react to settlement

By John Labriola - The Citrus, Lake and Osceola County School Boards faced angry parents demanding answers last week about a recent settlement between the State of Florida and the LGBTQ group Equality Florida that will weaken the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Although the settlement leaves the act in place, it provides a roadmap for activist teachers to violate the original intent of the law, including by allowing LGBTQ-promoting "safe space" stickers, student cross-dressing, and even discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, as long as they are not part of formal "instruction."

In Citrus County, parents urged school board members not to allow rainbow flags, stickers or other ideological displays that distract from a healthy learning environment.

"I would encourage the board as they consider how to implement the settlement into this district, that they would look at not allowing personal ideologies – the flags, the safe space stickers – that they would really be focusing just on educating – the reading, writing and math – and the emphasis would be providing an environment that's best for learning," said Beth Goerlitz of Inverness. 

Parents also urged the school board to require students to dress according to their biological sex and to stop "furries."

Darrick Buettner, Director of Special Academic Programs, said he was reviewing existing Citrus County school policies, including Policy 4.10, which prevents controversial material from being taught that does not directly relate to the subject area.

In Lake County, parents spoke out for a resolution sponsored by Christian Family Coalition Florida that would have closed all the loopholes in the law. 

"A child cannot run their own lives," said Rick Carlins. "All this sexual anything needs to be out of our schools."

The resolution drew an angry reaction from Glenn Strouse, a "transgender" school therapist in Lake County Schools, who laughably argued that students are safer with "transgender" individuals than with religious people.

School Board Chairwoman Mollie Cunningham said the district would take no action on the resolution, but School Board member Bill Mathias said he believes existing school board policies can be used to prevent displays in the classroom. 

At the Osceola County School Board, parents and advocates asked the board to pass a resolution banning the LGBTQ flag and sticker from school property, which was sponsored by School Board member Jon Arguello to keep the district from falling further behind in performance. 

"You want to know why this district is so bad? It's because cowards manage this district," Arguello said. "Protection begins with preventing politics from being forcefed down the throats of your children."

The resolution died for lack of a second.

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