A member of Moms for Social Justice, Taylor Lyons, spoke at the School Board meeting on July 21. (at 1 hour 11 minutes). She was outraged the board allowed Moms for Liberty to hold school board candidate forums at Red Bank and Ooltewah High Schools. Each forum was open to all candidates and the public was invited to attend. Forum questions were answered before a live audience and live streamed.
Mrs.
Lyons compared M4L to the KKK and the Proud Boys. But, when she implied Moms for Liberty and some board members were White Nationalists, I refused to listen to any more of the vitriol coming from her mouth so I left the room.
It is absolutely outrageous that someone like Taylor Lyons who is affiliated with a mom’s group that endorses masking students for eternity, keeping students at home and out of school forever without any consideration to the damage it does to them academically, socially and emotionally, hosts Gay Pride Skate Night, hosts events for “binding” and “packing” (if you don’t know what this is, look it up) and lobbies for obscene library books to remain in HCDE libraries, would get offended over a question and answer session of adults.
Mrs. Lyons accused the board of “dancing around” board policy by allowing a “highly partisan” group to hold a public forum in two of our schools. Yet, she has no problem with MSJ taking up space in 17 classrooms in Hamilton County with their “classroom libraries”. MSJ has asked for book donations from LGBTQIA+authors to stock their libraries. To Mrs. Lyons, it is an outrage for a room full of adults to hold an event live streamed for everyone to see, but it is okay for her group to put unvetted books in 17 classrooms without parental knowledge.
The truth is, Mrs. Lyons is upset that MSJ libraries will no longer be allowed to put some of their books in classrooms due to a recent policy update to reflect state law. MSJ books will now be vetted just like books in the regular library.
I am sure Mrs. Lyons will have more cause for outrage as I plan to bring a new policy concerning groups having access to space inside HCDE classrooms. Either all groups wanting to have access can be allowed, or no groups can be allowed. Given the fact that classroom space is so limited, I do not see how all groups can be allowed to move in and set up shop. So, I guess this means, no groups should be allowed. It is called equity. After all, that’s what Moms for Social Justice is all about, right, Mrs. Lyons?
Rhonda Thurman
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Thank you, Rhonda Thurman, for relating the most unpleasant scene that unfolded at the recent Hamilton County School Board meeting. I’ve been sounding the alarm for over a year now about the move by progressives to hijack the schools here with their radical agenda and this one hour plus rant is an example of what to expect from them.
Be assured if progressives get a vice grip on the Hamilton County School board, no one would be given the same opportunity to question their leftist policies of indoctrination. Across the nation, parents are ejected, arrested and even permanently banned from school board meetings when they rule.
Candidates of the political party that embraces progressivism should be rejected. Tell them Hamilton County wants academic achievement on the highest level by all of our students not distractions and division.
Give us Liberty not Marxism on Aug 4.
Ralph Miller
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Ms. Lyons is correct in her outrage. Our schools should not be used to support any partisan group having any kind of event. That is not what they are for and should not be used to advance either group’s ideology. It doesn’t matter that it was just a question and answer forum as you say. I’m sure that there was plenty of literature, posters, and speakers pushing the M4L agenda.
Now, I don’t know Ms. Lyons at all, but in the paragraph in which you seem to be insulting her efforts to help with a marginalized group that people like you would like to ignore, she seems like a decent person. Trying to keep children from catching a disease that is making a comeback in our county, hosting a safe space for our LGBTQIA+ young people to feel accepted among their peers without bullying or prejudice from people who look down on them, hosting events that help young people with body dysphoria in a non-judgmental way, and providing books that only a student and their parent should be making any decisions about. She seems like she cares about the people around her, unlike some people who are supposed to be representing the youth of our county.
Usually when people start talking down about equity, it means that they don’t think that other groups should have it. It means that the groups that have all the power might have to share some with others they feel are not worthy.
Thomas Blanks
Red Bank