School Board Removes Parent Who Read Out Vulgar Language In Library Book From Chamber

The Orange County School Board had a parent removed from a meeting chamber this week after the parent read vulgar text from a graphic novel that was confirmed to be in three high school libraries. The book in question is titled “Gender Queer: A Memoir.”

In a video recorded by Alicia Farrant, who is a member of the Orange County chapter of parent group Moms for Liberty, Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs asked police officers to remove parent Jacob Engels from the chambers, the Orange Observer reported.

Engels was a speaker during the meeting’s public comment portion, wherein he was stopped by Jacobs seconds after he started reading from the book.

“I’m going to read a passage of a book that’s floating around in your schools that has been banned from many other schools. As a member of the LGBT community, the fact that this is floating around for children as young as ninth grade is concerning,” Engels said. The passage Engels read described sexual acts with the use of strap-on devices. Jacobs interrupted Engels while other people in the audience urged the speaker to continue reading. “Mr. Engels, you’re out of order. … Remove him from the chambers,” Jacobs requested.

In response to events that occurred at the meeting, Shari Bobinski, Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) Director of Media Relations, said in a statement that “four copies of the book ‘Gender Queer’ were in three of our 22 high schools,” Fox News reported.

Bobinski added that the “School Board was unaware this book was available in school media centers. At this time, the book is not on library shelves and is under review.” Bobinski said the OCPS has “a process in place for parents or guardians to submit a form to the school principal to address a concern.”

Moms for Liberty Orange County chapter officials said in a statement that the group “has lost all faith in the Orange County School Board.”

The group said the Orange County School Board did not ask for the book’s title or which particular school library it was located in, adding that the board did not promise to remove the novel immediately. Finally, the group demanded the board to “step down” as it “does not have the protection of their students as a priority.”

Earlier this month, officials of the Brevard County School District in Florida removed the same book from the district, stating that it had “no place in education,” NBC affiliate Wesh reported.

Just this week, the Keller Independent School District (ISD) in Texas confirmed that the graphic novel was “immediately removed” from a high school in the district after campus administrators and the librarian were made aware of the images in the book, CBS-owned KTVT reported.

The Keller ISD said it will “change the process” used to assess and approve books to prevent similar incidents in the future.