The board will still have the regular hour-long public comment period. Both sign-ups close Monday at 2 p.m. — the district uses a random lottery system to decide who’s selected to speak.
You can sign up here.
The board added the second ‘call’ to discuss books in the district as a result of the pending public hearing on the book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You written by Jason Reynolds, adapted from the work of Ibram X. Kendi.
The board voted 4-3, with members Stephanie Walker, Stephanie Kraybill, and Hugh McManus dissenting, for a testimonial-style hearing with each side receiving 20 minutes to make their arguments for or against allowing an AP class at Ashley High to use the book. The parent who wants the book removed will represent one side. On the other side will be someone from the district who will argue in defense of both Ashley and the district’s book committees’ decisions to allow the book to stay.
The board had decided on August 3rd for the hearing — but the parent who is contesting the book said she couldn’t make that date. It’s likely the hearing will happen sometime during the week of August 14. The first teacher workday is that week, too, on August 17.