Participant Jojo Greimel speaks from an LGBTQ+ perspective, while a police officer dissuades Hassan Aoun, who said he was opposed to specific books, not gay people, during the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
Residents pack the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – After a contentious crowd resulted in the suspension of the Oct. 10 school board meeting, the body reconvened to accommodate public comment Oct. 13 at the Stout Middle School auditorium.
Driving the debate was the availability and age appropriateness of books accessible through school libraries, with particular focus on books with a LGBTQ+ theme.
Following Monday night’s heated encounter, which was shut down before public comment due to the packed conditions of the school board chamber and the volatile mood of attendees, the meeting was resumed Oct. 13 at a larger venue, the Stout Middle School auditorium at 18500 Oakwood Blvd.
A large police presence greeted attendees, as did metal detectors and bag searches. Pre-meeting emails stated that signs would not be allowed, but several appeared in the auditorium anyway despite the board’s ban.
Speakers were limited to three minutes, after which the microphone was deactivated. In addition, submitted comment cards were read from the stage after more than two hours of in-person public comment.
Speakers fell into two camps: Those opposed to what they deemed sexually inappropriate books, especially those with LGBTQ+ content, and those who were opposed to any book limitation, saying that parents who want to “opt out” for their children should not force the same restriction on other students.
City Councilmember Erin Byrnes, a Democrat state representative candidate, and is a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, spoke, as did Matt DePerno, the Republican candidate for Michigan Attorney General, who focused on what he believes are the fundamental rights of parents to decide the material to which their children may be exposed.
Participant Javonia Williams speaks from an LGBTQ+ perspective during the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
Several speakers who said they were part of the LGBTQ+ community passionately spoke on the importance of having books available for young people who may have no other way of understanding their own feelings and emerging sexuality, and said the availability of such books could help prevent suicides among youth.
Despite several speakers saying that they were opposed to specific books and not the gay community, self-professed LGBTQ+ speakers were booed, heckled and met with hostility and in some instances police officers moved closer to the speakers to separate them from those who reacted negatively to their message.
Attendee Hassan Aoun, who did not hesitate to respond vocally and who argued with police officers Oct. 10, wore a body cam on his shirt to record any interaction he had with police officers during the Oct. 13 reconvened meeting.
When Aoun had his turn at the microphone, he reiterated his opposition to provocative books, not gay people.
Another speaker called for a recall of the school board members, while others spoke of protecting children from what they deemed inappropriate content.
Local activist Stephanie Butler speaks during the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
Teachers spoke on behalf of their LGBTQ+ students, with Rola Makki saying she was concerned that the LGBTQ+ student groups in the high schools might be targeted. She also suggested that gun and ammunition magazines would be equally inappropriate in school libraries.
Another speaker mentioned “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Diary of Ann Frank,” and said they were often banned for their content, but noted that they were about heterosexual relationships, which were not being targeted by those concerned with LGBTQ+ content.
A young boy spoke up during the meeting, reading from a written speech, the gist of which implied that he wanted to be a kid and didn’t want to be exposed to sexually explicit material. However, due to the sophisticated vocabulary of his script, and his difficulty pronouncing many of the words that seemed unfamiliar to him, one could make the assumption that an adult had written the words he was delivering.
One speaker spoke out again what they saw as dehumanizing hate behaviors against the LGBTQ+ community, while another speaker decried the social and political machinations of the LGBTQ+ population and called for a focus on academics.
Speaker Brian Stone called out the crowd for trying to veil its homophobia through book prohibition, while activist Stephanie Butler complained that her daughter was prevented from checking out an LGBTQ+ themed book from a public library because they recognized her as being the protestor’s daughter.
Police officers move closer to speaker Brian Stone, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, as some attendees react to his remarks with anger during the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
School Board Trustee Hussein Berry, who is up for re-election in November, urged parents to stay involved with issues impacting their children and the schools, and said that the district is trying to empower the parents.
School Board President Roxanne McDonald said the central argument was not just about books.
“We are not deaf and dumb to the concerns of parents,” she said. “But we must reflect the entire community. We must be mindful and move with care.”
McDonald said that only “educationally valuable books” are retained in school district libraries.
Trustee James Thorpe seconded the observation that there are many diverse viewpoints within the Dearborn community, and urged people to express themselves through the electoral process.
Trustee Irene Watts said a lot of misinformation has been promulgated, and she urged parents to dialogue with their students’ teachers and to build or rebuild their trust with the school district and its staff.
“Continue to advocate,” she said. “The additional dialogue that we have will make us stronger as a community.”
Dearborn Public School Board Trustees Hussein Berry (left), Pat D’Ambrosio and Adel Mozip; Supt. Glenn Maleyko; Executive Administrative Assistant Joanne Harris; and Trustees Mary Petlichkoff, James Thorpe and Irene Watts listen during the reconvened School Board meeting Oct. 13, held at the Stout Middle School auditorium, after the Oct. 10 meeting at the school board offices was suspended due to overcrowding and contention among attendees.
Watts added that it is important that LGBTQ+ students feel safe.
Supt. Glenn Maleyko reiterated that the school board is listening to the parents’ concerns, and that the trustees are continuing a dialogue among themselves.
McDonald thanked the community for its well-thought-out speeches, and reiterated the importance of providing everyone with a forum to voice their concerns.
She urged the community to work together and to continue to care for the district’s students and the community at large. She also urged people to listen to others, even those with opposing viewpoints.
Berry said students are troubled by the controversy.
“Students are hurting right now,” he said. “This is affecting our students.”
Berry also urged the community to keep an eye out for bullying, and to not tolerate it.
Trustee Mary Petlichkoff said the Oct. 10 meeting was suspended out of an abundance of concern for safety, not to stop people from voicing their concerns.
“We never thought it would be that size of a crowd,” she said. “We have a process to protect everyone, but we need everyone to communicate.”
McDonald concurred.
“We absolutely were not trying to shut down any voices,” she said. “We care about this community. We are here to hear you. We are looking for a better solution for everyone.”