OFALLON, Mo. — More than 100 people packed into a Francis Howell school board meeting room on Thursday to oppose proposed policies that critics claim would infringe on First Amendment rights.
Seven new policies are under consideration by the Francis Howell board, including one that would allow any district resident to challenge learning materials for “appropriateness”; one that would bar discussions of gender identity without parent approval; and another that would subject district employees to discipline if they help manage campaigns for school board candidates and ban the common practice of campaigning at events held on district property.
Speakers at Thursday night’s board meeting largely lambasted the policies and claimed they were proof of further politicization in the school district.
“It has become increasingly clear that your political agendas influence our rights and education rather than our welfare,” rising junior Harper Schneider told the board.
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Before the meeting, about 40 people gathered outside the district’s central office holding signs that urged board members not to advance the policies.
“They’re stepping on the rights of a multitude of people because they think their way is the right way,” Angela Wheelehan, a seventh-grade teacher at Barnwell Middle School, said in an interview.
