School Board votes to return removed books BACK on library shelves

Two local parents are a part of the lawsuit – Toby Lentz (Amelia Island Youth Soccer board member & husband of Robin Lentz, Executive Director of Take Stock in Children and former Nassau County school counselor) and Sara Moerman, Fernandina Friends of Library director)

Nassau County School Board and Superintendent Burns,

Your decision on Thursday, August 8^th at a workshop and board meeting approving a settlement regarding RETURNING books to the Nassau County School bookshelves is a slap in the face to a majority of parents and students.  Your responsibility is to make our schools a safe place for education.  Unfortunately, your actions are preserving the social justice, diversity equity inclusion, Marxist and WOKE ideologies in our school libraries and classrooms in direct violation to Florida Statutes.

When the school district removed 34 books from our school libraries, Nassau CDF recognized our school district was doing a great job protecting our community – better than many other counties in Florida and across the country.  Our local school district has every right to curate books for our community based on our community values.

On May 15^th, the authors of And Tango Makes Three along with 2 parents of children in our schools filed suit to put ALL 36 books back on the library bookshelves.   (full lawsuit attached)

Nassau County School District’s review committee designated 31 of the books as “Prohibited by s.847.012, F.S., Depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined in s. 847.001 (19), F.S.”.  Note:  The Tango book and others were removed because there was no demand or moved to age-appropriate libraries.  Below are summaries of the books along with concerns.

And Tango Makes Three  (Link to Tango review)
The Tango book celebrates two male penguins in a zoo raising a young penguin.  They claim in the suit that it is a “widely acclaimed children’s book containing LGBTQIA+ characters and themes”.  Further, they state that the book “teaches students about animal behavior, adoption, diversity among family structures, and responsible family values.”  Their intended message appears to be that animal behavior by animals in captivity is a great example for human behavior and values.  This book is targeted to very young impressionable elementary school students ages 3-8.  Suggesting that children find their values from the abnormal animal kingdom behavior is manipulative and confusing to young minds.  Values taught is school should come from the Judeo-Christian values ordained by God on which the United States of America was founded.

Almost Perfect  (link to Almost Perfect review)
The story line is:  A teenage boy falls in love with a transgender male
Summary of Concerns: The book contains sexual nudity; sexual activities; alternate genders ideologies; and profanity/derogatory terms.

If these words were spoken in school, students would face serious disciplinary actions. 2023-2024 Code of Student Conduct requires “No profane or obscene language” in schools or on busses.

Violations Class II states (Section 2) include “Profane and obscene language or gestures, or display/possession of obscene materials or electronic access.”  Repeated violations are punishable as a Class III violation punishable by suspension, removal from class or referral to law enforcement.

Why would our School Superintendent and School Board recommend a book such as this be put on our Nassau County School library shelves?  If you teach this in school, you will deal with it more in school.  Children will wonder why there is a disciplinary rule when you publish this in a school library.

Ghost Boys   (link to Ghost Boys review)
Summary of Concerns:  This book contains inflammatory racial ideologies; explicit violence; and derogatory terms.  This book promotes racial division, hatred, anti-police themes, and directs students to even more radical writings.  What behavior are we teaching children in our schools?

This book is also directing readers to radical ideology websites.  One excerpt from the site is  “If schools are ever to be truly “safe spaces,” we will need to build our capacity to defend each other. Whether from police, white supremacists, ICE agents, or climate disaster, this will require social justice work inside and outside the classroom”

In the lawsuit, “plaintiffs seek to restore the 36 books” to the public-school libraries.  The plaintiffs are the authors of the Tango book, and parent plaintiffs Sara Moerman (Director of Friends of the Library) and Toby Lentz (husband of Robin Lentz, former Fernandina Beach School Counselor and current Executive Director of Take Stock in Children) and their respective children.  Their ask (every one of the 36) could very well violate Florida statutes.  Thirty one of the 34 books removed have been designated by our Nassau school review committee as “Prohibited by s.847.012, F.S., Depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined in s. 847.001 (19), F.S.”

Nassau Citizens Defending Freedom is still seeking the details on the August 8^th workshop meeting and School Board meeting where this was discussed, and decisions were made.  There are grave concerns that the Nassau County School Board is NOT abiding by Sunshine Law requirements of public notice and public access to information.  Workshop agendas and board actions on August 8^th appear to be in clear violation of Florida State Laws.  I’m sure that if and when the parents and citizens of Nassau County are made fully aware of the facts, there is no way they would approve of having New York Authors and a former school counselor override lawfully and appropriately made decisions to protect our children from obscenity, violence, racism and LGBTQIA+ messaging in our school libraries.  Our schools are for educating and not for indoctrination of radical ideologies, racist, sexist and animal behavior as normal for humans.

We ask that you reconsider your hasty and ill-advised decision to return these books to the Nassau County Library bookshelves and classrooms.  If parents want their children to read these books, there are plenty of commercial outlets for them to source the books.  Our taxpayer funded public schools is not the place to promote or present these materials.

Jack Knocke
Nassau Citizens Defending Freedom
County Executive Director.

If you are so moved, you should contact School Board members and the Superintendent to let them know how you feel and ask why they would backtrack on a decision that protected our school children.   School Board member contact information can be found here