Local News: So much red tape, so little transparency in NCSD book battle
A yearlong book battle rages on in Natrona County, Wyoming as pornographic materials remain available to students
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”—Revelation 21:8
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the book controversy taking place in Wyoming’s Natrona County School District (NCSD), which is headquartered in the City of Casper.
To reiterate the issue, several books were formally challenged by parents, but the school district chose not to remove them. In particular were “Gender Queer” and “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves,” both of which include sexually explicit images and content that is freely available in the high school libraries for minors to see.
The federal definition of pornography is “material that depicts nudity or sexual acts for the purpose of sexual stimulation. However, the presence of nudity or sexual acts in piece of media does not necessarily make that media pornographic if the purpose of that media form is something other than sexual stimulation. Pornography can take the form of photographs, videos, written material, audio recordings, or animation, among other media formats.”
Those books were summarized, with photos, by Cowboy State Daily. You can decide for yourself if it’s pornography, but take note the “explicit content” warning by Cowboy State Daily which read: “The following story and photos depict mature subject matter. Cowboy State Daily gently blurred nude images, but in the original books… the nude images are generally uncensored. Read at your own discretion.”
Further illustrations can be found here. Take note, the Cowboy State Daily warning would apply to that link as well.
The decision to keep those books was announced in September, but transparency (as always) is hard to come by for government. That decision was made by a reconsideration committee of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats whose salaries are derived from the theft of the citizens (otherwise known as taxation). There was no recorded vote by the Board of Education.
However, a formal appeal of that decision was filed last week by the Natrona County chapter of Moms for Liberty which will force the NCSD board to make a decision.
At the Monday, Oct. 24 board meeting, public comments continued to be made on the issue. Of 16 total public commentors, 14 spoke on the book issue. Of those, eight want the pornographic material removed from the school libraries and six want them to remain.
Two Republican candidates for state-level office in the Nov. 8 midterm election addressed the board. They were Megan Degenfelder, who is running for superintendent of public instruction, and Jeanette Ward, who is running for state representative in Wyoming’s 57th District.
Degenfelder, who now resides is Laramie, WY, said she was a graduate of NCSD and her father previously sat on its school board for several terms. She said:
“Today, I’m here to comment on the recent review of the library books ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.’ I respect local decision making, local control, in all areas of government, and education is no exception. So, I respect the duly elected board that sits before me today and your authority over books and curriculum, as is specified in our state constitution and state statute. The decision on books is entirely one up for a local school district, and I come to you tonight as a candidate for office responding to the needs and voices of voters across the state and within your community.”
“As you’re all aware, ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Trans Bodies, Trans Selves’ includes graphic images of sexually explicit and arousing acts. Having reviewed these excerpts, such explicit images of any sexual orientation are not only beyond the scope of the content and performance standards of our sexual education and health standards. But they’re not suitable for minors that are under the age of sexual consent, and they’re inappropriate use of our taxpayer funds.”
“Explicit and arousing sexual graphics are not the best and only way to support our LGBTQ students. There are many places for books, such as ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Trans Bodies, Trans Selves,’ to exist as resources for adult individuals. But a K-12 public, taxpayer library with minors is no such place.”
Degenfelder went on to say that if that if elected, she will “work with all school districts across the state to navigate these difficult issues.”
Ward, a Casper resident, is a mother of two NCSD high school students. She said:
“We have warned, requested, begged, and implored you to do the right thing by removing these sexually explicit books, ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Trans Bodies, Trans Selves,’ from our public school libraries since last December. We have followed your process. But instead of being transparent, as a publicly elected body should be, this board has refused to take an up-and-down vote publicly on these matters. Instead, a committee chosen behind closed doors, unelected and unaccountable to the people, made a decision to keep these books in our schools.”
“At any time, any one of the elected school board trustees could have made a motion to remove these sexually explicit books that groom children and called for an up and down vote. But that has not occurred. Why?”
“To reiterate what I’ve said previously, we are not suggesting that ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Trans Bodies, Trans Selves’ be banned. These books are available in the marketplace. We are asking that these books, which are pornographic according to the majority of reasonable people everywhere, but especially in Casper, be removed from our schools, never to be purchased again with our money.”
“A decision is before you. To quote the band Rush, ‘If you choose not to decide, You still have made a choice.’ Choose the right.”
Ward went on to finish with a “warning” as she read the Bible verse referenced above, Revelation 21:8. She concluded: “Notice that the cowardly are listed first.”
Lies exposed as NCSD hides behind process
Three candidates for the NCSD board on the Nov. 8 ballot addressed the board. Two of those candidates, Jennifer Hopkins and Mary Schmidt, are part of the Moms for Liberty group that filed the appeal.
Schmidt exposed the lies and lack of transparency in the process found through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
In February, a FOIA was filed by Schmidt requesting circulation of the sexually explicit books at the district’s high school libraries. The response from the district included data from Kelly Walsh High School but stated the books were not in the Natrona County High School. On a side note, a third high school (Roosevelt) is in the district but was not referenced in the comments.
However, that turns out to be untrue as Schmidt referenced a Casper Star-Tribune story which reported: “During the Star-Tribune’s reporting for a separate story, a Natrona County High School student informed a Star-Tribune reporter that they had read “Gender Queer” at the NCHS library, and that it was available to students if they asked for it.”
Regarding the reconsideration committee that chose to keep the books, Schmidt said Moms for Liberty was not notified of that meeting until 8:15 a.m. the day of the meeting. She submitted another FOIA asking for written minutes including the reasoning by the committee for keeping the sexually explicit books.
Schmidt said NCSD’s attorney responded “that he would not give me the information I requested because of an unsubstantiated claim of retaliation, and that the committee did not make any written record of their deliberations.”
Asking for clarification, Schmidt said: “I was instructed to turn it to my attorney.” She concluded:
“Why must I get an attorney for this process? Are you going to bring the committee before you to find out their reasoning for their decision? Are you going to ask for the actual printed copies from the school library to review? Are you, as trustees, going to determine how this review process will go, or will you let the superintendent direct the process for you?”
“I’m sorry to say, but the trust has been broken based off the FOIA denials and the dishonest reporting of the circulation numbers on the book.”
Hopkins focused her comments on the content of “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves,” in particular the portion that teaches students how to become “sex workers.” She said:
“That’s the focus of this book, it’s about transgender people and that they have a hard time finding jobs. And sometimes they have to turn to sex work…. It’s not about our students because if we thought they had dignity, we don’t have these books in the schools. If they have dignity, we would teach them how to read and write and how to find good jobs, not to lower themselves to sex work.”
The third school board candidate who spoke, Bernie Studer, agreed that the books were inappropriate for students, but his comments references what he believes should be the focus of the government school system, which is preparing students for careers rather than sexualizing minors. He said: “I’m trying to get kids to focus, and to get us to focus on kids getting to focus on their careers.”
Emotions trump values for those who support the books
As noted, the books do have their supporters as well. Those speaking in support of them generally were condescending, derogatory and accusatory. They relied on feelings rather than logic.
Two high school students, presumably minors, said the books weren’t pornography because they’re a “health guide specifically for the transgender community” and called it “very important” for students to have access to sexually explicit materials. One even said that there are transgender students whose “parents are not supportive,” so the government (with stolen money from taxpayers) needs to support sexual depravity and destructive lifestyles.
One individual, Archie Petrique, said he has been a counselor for 12 years. At the Oct. 10 meeting, when 24 comments were made opposing the books and five spoke for them, he linked those against the books to those who were opposed to interracial marriage.
At the Oct. 24 meeting, Petrique admitted the books were sexually explicit, but those against them were simply opposed out of “fear and shock and uncertainty,” not because it promotes sexual depravity and destructive lifestyles linked to high levels of suicide. He offered to give free training to those who “lack a certain level of experience and exposure to this” so that they, too, can accept sinful lifestyles. It is unclear if anyone took him up on his offer (sarcasm intended).
Pandering trumps answers from the Board of Education
Several board members spoke during trustee reports, and the general statements were that they “hear” all sides of the issue and that the public just doesn’t understand the process. Instead of the school board directing the administration, the administration directs the board.
Two current board members are on the Nov. 8 ballot seeking reelection, Debbie McCullar and Kianna Smith. McCullar avoided the book issues, but Smith addressed it by stating there’s red tape that has to be followed before the board can remove access to pornography from minors. Smith said:
“The reason that it was handled by a committee that was appointed by the superintendent (Mike Jennings) is because that is how the regulation requires it to be done…. It’s going to go through staff and administration before it comes to the board.”
Of course, the board can change its policies at any time… Oh, wait, I forgot. There’s no local control as I addressed in my piece a few weeks ago.
Smith said the issue has been handled properly and that the board did not provide any oversight to the reconsideration committee. That’s right, she admitted that the elected school board, which is supposed to oversee how the district operates, did not oversee the process.
Additionally, Smith said “a report was released that detailed the reasoning behind the decision that the committee made,” but hey, the committee was full of unelected bureaucrats who have salaries funded through theft (again, taxation), and we can’t expect them to face any accountability.
“Hopefully, we will be making a decision in a very transparent manner,” Smith said as the board will now be forced to make a decision due to the appeal. Of course, Smith can’t assure that it will be transparent, but she hopes it will be.
Clark Jensen, the board’s vice chair, spoke on the issue. Jensen’s seat is up this year, but he did not file for reelection, according to the county’s candidate list. Jensen was offended that the highly paid administrators would be criticized. He said:
“It’d be nice if the public understood the process because the administration has been accused of lying and being deceptive, and I think that is not fair.”
Dave Applegate, the board’s treasurer, did provide a framework that he wants to see when the board reviews the books on appeal. He applauded the reconsideration committee for being “consistent with existing board policy” as he began by pandering to both sides. He said:
“The school board and school district is not capable of solving the political and medical controversies that are occurring in the United States regarding transgender children. Some commentors from both sides of this book issue have occasionally tried to make that their focus. But the general content of these books has no bearing on the thoughts I will put forth this evening as it relates to these books and library materials in general.”
“I also want to speak directly to the LGBTQ community in saying that I thought the comments from this community and its supporters have been thoughtful and respectful. It take bravery for these students to provide public comment to this board. I want to emphasize to them that this board recognizes your humanity. Their humanity is our common ground, and differences in personal identity does not influence how I see you as a fellow human being.”
“I also appreciate the thoughtful comments from parents expressing concerns about their children being exposed to sexually explicit images and content at the high school libraries. Parents have a right to know what their children learn in school, and they have a fundamental right to limit or prevent their children from being exposed to mature subject matter that they believe may not be appropriate for their children.”
Applegate suggested that NCSD provide a rating system to the materials available in school libraries. He said DC Comics provides a rating system that would be appropriate.
NCSD’s policy does not allow for “erotica” to be purchased by the district, Applegate said, but he said there is no definition for “erotica” which is something the board should address. He also said there should be an annually updated list of books available in the school libraries. He said if 17+ materials are available, they “should be clearly indicated in this annual reporting.”
Nothing surprising from government schooling
“I never let my schooling interfere with my education.”—Mark Twain
Several board members claimed this is an issue of “competing rights” between parental rights and First Amendment rights.
Newsflash, there’s no such thing as “competing rights.” There are individual rights that we all have, regardless of what subgroup the government wants to put us in as it constantly divides us. However, when we allow the government to control every aspect of our lives, including schooling, then we allow the central planners to setup these “competing rights.”
How about we put the “Anarchist Cookbook” in school libraries? It’s educational. It teaches people how to make bombs.
On a side note, I support the First Amendment right of the “Anarchist Cookbook” to exist, and the right of citizens to read it without being tracked by the government. But the point is that everybody has books they don’t want in school libraries. The school libraries physically can’t have every book, every publication available. So, because this book or that book is not available, does that mean censorship?
Of course, sexually explicit books have no place in the school system. Beyond the moral depravity of these books, they simply are not academically worthy. That’s probably the most offensive thing about them. Put aside the transgender issue, the homosexual aspect. They simply are not academic. And the government has no place in teaching sex education at all. All sex education is moral education. We live in a society with many different moral beliefs. So-called “comprehensive” nor “abstinence only” sex education should be in the schools at all. But alas, the government schools shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Regardless, nothing should surprise us about this controversy. This should be expected when we allow the government to raise children. And that’s exactly what we’re doing when we allow government schools to exist.
This coddling of special groups, the “LGBTQ+” group in this instance, has nothing to do with academics, nothing to do with education. This is just one of the many tools that have been in place for the deliberate dumbing down of America.
These students are being turned into emotionally unstable people, unable to face one of the most important facts of life. That fact is that life is not fair. You’ve got to learn to deal with that. You’ve got to be strengthened, not coddled. This NCSD board and administration doesn’t care about them. They are using them.
The government school system was created to socially engineer society which John Taylor Gatto, the 1991 New York State Teacher of the Year, thoroughly exposed. The school system was designed to train students to be slaves to the corporate and government masters. And if you’re one of the lucky ones, you can be one of the masters.
And for those students who think they are the opposite sex or suffer from homosexual lust, there’s no greater act of love then to say this: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 6:23
To those students, you are created in the image of God and have value. But you, like the rest of us, are sinners. Seek the salvation offered only through the blood of Jesus Christ while there’s still time.