SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Board of Education (BOE) for Salina Public Schools held their monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
A topic of discussion was the possible banning of the book “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, which is currently available for students at Salina Public Schools. It is currently already banned in 15 states across the county.
The discussion got heated as the amount of time-limited to guest speakers was shortened, and some people were skipped over.
“One minute is not nearly long enough to say what I want to say, so I’ll email you a copy,” said Chris Field, a parent to a student at a Salina Public School, after an alarm cut him off.
The height of the heated discussion came when a woman stormed the stage to yell at board members.
“You as a parent need to take this, and read it, and then get it out of our library. Get it out!” she yelled.
The BOE then cut the public forum short. They also admitted to handpicking guest speakers.
“Ms. Reed, I’m sorry, yours got slipped under another one. If you could send your comments to us, that’d be great,” said USD 305 School Board Member Jim Fletcher.
Many guests voiced their outrage.
“What?!” said one audience member. “This isn’t a public forum. This is a sham,” said another.
However, some of the audience members were happy with the results of the discussion.
“They have a very elaborate way of evaluating the content, the material, they look at the resources, and I was really impressed to ensure that the materials that are available for the learning of our students in the district is appropriate,” said Christine Brown, a concerned citizen.
The school district is still reviewing “All Boys Aren’t Blue.” KSN has not been told when a decision to ban the book or not will be made.