Open letter to the School Board regarding Senate Bill 1834
Dear Board members,
At the March 2 Alachua County School Board meeting, Chair Rob Hyatt made the following statement regarding a “pernicious” bill before the Florida legislature: “In Alachua County Public Schools, we support all students, all families, all employees, we support our LGBTQ+ folks that are with us, that are a vital part of everything we do—what is happening in Tallahassee is not what we do in Alachua County. That’s me speaking, but it’s beyond unacceptable. This is 2022.”
I write to correct Hyatt on his misrepresentation of the above-referenced bill. Hyatt suggested that the bill was anti-LGBTQ, and that is simply not true. He also stated that he wasn’t going to “say the name of the bill,” which did nothing but further fan the flames of ignorance consuming our board. The bill in question is titled “Parental Rights in Education” (SB 1834/HB 1557), and I would expect every member of a board overseeing nearly 30,000 students to read the bill and be informed BEFORE slandering the legislature.
Mr. Hyatt owes the district an apology and needs to immediately make a public statement acknowledging his full understanding of the bill and its intentions. He needs to immediately denounce and condemn the use of the activist phrase, “Don’t Say Gay.”
We now have uninformed students planning walkouts based on misinformation repeated by the chairman of the Alachua County School Board. This is NOT leadership. This is a disservice to our entire student body.
I will ask this question at the next board meeting: “Do members of this board find it appropriate for teachers to initiate conversations with 5-year-olds regarding their sexual orientation or gender identity?”
Tommy Rogers, Gainesville
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
good piece
I agree100% with the above letter. I don’t want this perversion to be taught to our students. It’s not the teachers union place to indoctrinate children in this garbage. How about teaching the three R’s to our kids? There are so many failing schools in this state and country we don’t need social engineering to be taught. Teachers stay in your boundaries.
I was shocked when he said that. Clearly, he never read it and should not have commented. Just do your job!!!
Thank you for your excellent letter, Tommy Rogers. And for following up on this with Mr. Hyatt, and trying to keep the conversation intellectually honest and thoughtful.
Do people still even care that the entire lgbtqp+ are only another spelling for a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah?
Does it matter to anyone other than me that the rainbow, the sign placed in the clouds by our CREATOR as a reminder of His Covenant with man thru Noah as a promise to never again flood the earth has been purposely hijacked and used for abominable acts according to the Holy scriptures?
Should the millions of unborn innocent babies continue to be wholesale murdered probably faster then the sacrifices to Baal that used to take place and passed thru the fire?
No new thing under the sun and THAT is a factual statement. “NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN”… Only the names have changed.
It is no wonder why our nation is so divided and in the trouble we now have at every level of society. Our Creator has forsaken America and not one person can blame Him nor His only begotten Son for it.
This earth and America specifically need a return to the Laws of God or suffer the consequences of disobedience.