Dueling protests at the Lee County School Board over 'Woke Indoctrination,' teacher rights

Tensions stretched taut at a Lee County School board meeting Tuesday night as residents clashed over politics, freedom of speech, and what can and can’t be in a classroom.

From one side of the Lee County School Board building, protesters yelled "sexuality has no business in the classroom," and "Stop Woke Indoctrination"; while counter-protesters yelled "Let teachers teach," and "No more hate."

Lee GOP organized a protest over a flag hung up in a Fort Myers school that they say promotes “woke indoctrination" and violated the "Stop Woke Act."

The flag, which is hung in a Riverdale High School classroom bulletin board in Fort Myers, spells out "Hate Has No Home Here" and is covered in hearts that contain the American flag, a peace symbol, the words Black Lives Matter, and the LGBTQ+ and Trans flags.

"We want to take politics out of education, that's the biggest thing that we are here for," said Michael Thompson, the chairman of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee. "We are really just trying to get the district to realize that they might have a policy that they are not enforcing."

On the flip side, after the issue caught wider attention, The Purple Group, a nonpartisan advocacy group for public schools, students, and educators, staged a counter-protest.

Madelon Stewart, part of the leadership of The Purple Group, said the group and its supporters felt the need to come out because of concerns about partisan actors trying to control public education in what's supposed to be nonpartisan education decisions for students.

"There is this incredible push by partisan politicians to try to control what is going on in public education," Stewart said.

The Lee County School District has more than 101,000 students in 118 schools throughout Lee County. Riverdale has more than 2,100 students.

Stop Woke Act

Previous Coverage Lee County GOP planning school board protest over flag they say violates 'Stop Woke Act'

The Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, also known as the Individual Freedom Act, restricts how race is talked about in Florida schools, colleges, and corporations.

Schools must follow certain principles when teaching or discussing certain subjects and are prohibited from teachings that could make students feel as if they are responsible for historic wrongs because of their race, color, sex, or national origin.

Instruction and curricula may not be used to "indoctrinate or persuade" students to a particular point of view inconsistent with the principles of individual freedom or state academic standards.

Despite challenges from higher courts, the bill remains enforceable in K-12 schools.

Thompson said the party was made aware of the flag after being sent a picture of it in December, and since then, has been trying to get it removed.

Tara Jenner, vice chairwoman of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee, said the items on the flag are the main issue because they get into "morality, sexuality, politics, and faith."

"That is a purview that is exclusively delegated to the parents, both under the Parental Rights Acts and our natural God-given rights," Jenner said. "It's a misstatement to say that because we disagree with what was at the bottom of that flag, that we do not support or that we hate, that's not the case."

She said the topics can be taught and addressed but only through an approved curriculum based on biology and history that does not violate the rights of parents and individuals.

Jenner said Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Fort Myers Republican, is working on a bill that would limit flags in the school to only the U.S. flag, the Florida state flag, and the POW/MIA flag.

The chairman said he will continue working toward getting the school district to change or enforce its policies to ensure nothing like this happens again.

"Because I'm going to come back to the school board people if they don't do their job and make this right here in the next couple of weeks," Thompson said.

He also said the Lee GOP is working on starting a Republican club in every high school in Lee County.

"If you don't take the politics out of the classroom, we are going to get in your classroom," Thompson said.

Counter-protesters speak out

Stewart expresses concerns that any future changes on what teachers can and cannot display in their classrooms will put unnecessary and overt restrictions on the classroom.

"To think that if a student sees something, it going to indoctrinate them, just boggles the mind," Stewart said. "They have no understanding of how students learn, of how children learn things."

She said the people who came out to protest the flag have no respect for teachers or their qualifications.

"There's a reason educators are there," Stewart said. "They are qualified people who have experience, expertise, and knowledge in the field of education."

Yenori Alvarez, 22, came out to show support in solidarity with her LGBTQ+ friends as she sees the covering up of the flag as a censorship issue.

"I thought it wasn't really right to limit the teachers' and students' voices," Alvarez said. "Being gay was never an issue or something that we had to fight over like this."

She grew up in Fort Myers and was a substitute teacher for a year at Riverdale High School and worries about the future of the school district when loud voices can dictate and "erase people and identities".

"I just hope everyone feels safe at school, and that they feel like they deserve to be there because they do, even if you are queer or trans or whatever," Alvarez said.

Another Counter-protester, Lewis Robinson, 60, said the schools are facing a crossroad that is interfering with education.

"It is an issue because the Legislature is making it an issue because the governor started his indoctrination," Robinson said. "The conservative ideology that's preaching a doctrine and called us indoctrination."

Robinson is a retired doctor and the vice chairman of the Lee County Democratic Black Caucus.

He also took issue with the school board's willingness to compromise with Thompson by offering to cover the Black Lives Matter portion of the flag, which the Lee GOP rejected as they wanted the whole flag taken down.

"Once you open the door, the door is open and they will go all the way," Robinson said. "They intend to have their ideology only."

"Their indoctrination will eventually hurt people and it doesn't matter how, whether it's taking away people's privilege or their medicine, it doesn't matter to them," he added.

School board policy changes

After an hour of public comment, the school board members did not introduce or take action against the flag.

However, policy revisions to address and regulate political activities and personal items for employees of the district are expected to go for a second reading, public hearing, and vote on Feb. 21.

The Lee School District said they continue to work toward a satisfactory resolution regarding the flag.

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County residents clash over flag in Fort Myers classroom