LTISD CENSORSHIP !!!
A remarkable thing happened at the April LTISD school board meeting. The board chair, Mr. John Aoueille(pronounced owl-way), interrupted concerned citizen Jennifer Fleck during her citizen communication and denied her 1st amendment right to free speech when she began to read from the books that are available in our Lake Travis school libraries. He cut her off and said, “I’m not going to allow it.” May I please speak, Oh great Lord Grantor of Speech?!
You should watch the video from the meeting at about 59 minutes into the meeting. https://laketravisisdtx.new.swagit.com/videos/224728
I had put these comments together for the three minute citizen comment portion of the May school board meeting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the meeting. I intend to share these comments at the next meeting. I would like to share them here and maybe you have something to add. So please, do so in the comment section below. Mind you, we only get three minutes, sometimes less, so for brevity some of the sentences have poor grammar.
[Begin]
Trustees and Mr. superintendent,
Your constituents just may perceive this body as…should I say unserious. And here’s why..
They can write an email that will NOT be responded to. They can come speak at a school board meeting but again this body will not address their concerns and they may be interrupted or even censored.
Oh, and if they’re running late and can’t put their name down before the meeting starts, then they will not be heard!!
Even though we will have 15 minutes to an hour of award ceremonies at the beginning each meeting. We couldn’t possibly allow sign up during that time. Too bad. So sad. You late to the meeting soccer moms!
The chair, whose name we may not utter, even though he may call us by name, has now decreed his free speech denying “vulgar” edict. And will deny speech during a public meeting that he alone deems “vulgar”. Yet he will not deem any books vulgar for your children. Ya know because we need to be inclusive!
The first amendment to the Constitution states:
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.
Just to be clear, there is NOT an exception for the Lake Travis school board.
Why do we even need that pesky free speech anyway?
Because, but for the citizens that read from the school library books, the board, I am quite certain, would have never put the book review process on an agenda. We must continue to speak out because, up to this point, this body has merely played political lip service by talking about the process but not changing the process that landed the books in the libraries in the first place. Frankly, the board has not met its constituents’ concerns. We seek redress.
So what now?
Oh, I know, just muzzle those pesky parents and interrupt their time at these meetings.
THAT’S your solution?
Is THIS YOUR Solution?
Parents who don’t want racist smut groomer books must …….opt out?….please for all the money that has been shoveled to the myriad of school administrators, can’t they at least do their job and curate the books. How is this so hard to figure out?
Oh wait, yes..it makes sense now, as I am reminded that this district can’t even provide bus service for its students.
Board members discussed how the librarians are reporting back that they are overwhelmed by the book review process. Really? I thought that was part of a librarian’s job.
Hey you parents, you need to do the librarian’s job and curate the school library books – Your own Self!
[Sigh!] Cuz we’re just too overwhelmed.
This is from your code of ethics: Equity in attitude, whatever that means?
Section 2 : I will accord others the respect I wish for myself.
So you must wish to be silenced, ignored, forced to do other people’s work and have your kids exposed to groomer smut! OK! because that is like, super respectful! Thanks! your Wholly excellence!
May we please have buses for our students?
Or maybe you could vote the admins another 1000 dollar check instead of using the money for bus driver bonuses? Because we feel super respected when you do that!
May I declare that I am overwhelmed and you guys come do my job for me?
May I silence you the way you have silenced us? I certainly doubt it. Because as you know this is like a totally serious meeting, man!
[end]
Members of our community have been meeting with the administration for over a year. One would figure that after pointing out the issue by reading the books at the school board meetings that the board would have taken action, but no. Here is what the board has done. Not a single change to the policy. The administration presented the website’s portal to request a book be reviewed. And now if a book is found in need of curation(removed from the school library) then, it goes to the teacher collection. So the book is still in the school. And now it is outside of the purview of our librarians. And no longer eligible for any review. How is that a solution?
Can you believe the gall these local school boards have to just thumb their noses at their own constituents? We worked tirelessly to help get these people elected and this is how they represent the community. Just tow the line for Paul Norton, no need to do any leadership. Please reach out to your school board trustees and demand that they listen to their constituents and demand leadership from the school board. All we want is a process that better represents the community’s interests in local school board issues.
Here is their email: leadership@ltisdschools.org
Also check out our post about the book bill in the Texas legislature. There is a call to action!
For more on the books check out my podcast:
