By Terry Witt – Special to Spotlight

A Winter Park resident’s letter to the Levy County School Board on Feb. 21 expressing outrage over the board’s use of a written policy to discourage students from taking part in a nationwide boycott of classes in support of gun control didn’t meet with a friendly reception at Tuesday’s board meeting.

The board made no apology for policy 5.27 which they said had been around for a long time and was adopted to prevent students from disrupting classes by boycotting, walking out, sitting-in or striking during the operation of schools. The policy was posted on Facebook on Feb. 20 in response to a text calling for a national walkout of classes on Feb. 21 in support of gun control.

The board posted policy 5.27 from the Code of Student Conduct on its Facebook page, saying that while students have a First Amendment right to free speech “it cannot be done so in a manner that is disruptive to the school environment.” Board members said they didn’t want students just “leaving campus” without proper checkout procedures being followed.

The policy states, “Any student who participates in a boycott, walk out, sit-in, strike or any similar disruptive action which interferes with the orderly operation of the school shall be deemed guilty of serious misconduct and shall be subject to suspension or expulsion from school.”

Board member Rick Turner said Winter Park resident Drew Dalire should mind her own business and leave the operation of the public schools in Williston, Bronson, Chiefland, Cedar Key and Yankeetown to the county school board and superintendent.

“I view it as a direct insult to my sense of well-being and caring for the students of Levy County,” Turner said of the letter.

Dalire said she wanted to express her “concern and outrage” that the school board was threatening suspension and other disciplinary action against its students wanting to protest their concerns about weapons control within the school district.

“You are setting a dangerous precedent by doing so. You are setting a bad example by using negative reinforcement as a preventative tactic. You are setting a bad example by telling them that their voices and concerns don’t matter. This pushback from your board will have long lasting repercussions, it forces people into silence. Disruption of classes is an inconvenience. ” Dalire wrote.

School Board Attorney David Delaney said one of the biggest concerns about a walkout involving students is safety. He said the issue was discussed at a meeting of the Florida Association of School Board attorneys a week earlier.

Allowing a large number of students to file out of a school on a designated day and time gives advance notice to people who may have bad intent, Delaney said.

He said the intent of the school board was not to punish students for exercising their free speech rights. He said there was a misperception that schools were going to expel students if they walked out.

“That’s not how expulsion works, but we want to keep them safe,” he said.

School Board Chairman Cameron Asbell said the nationwide text called for Levy County students to walk out of class on/at a certain time of day.

“It is our policy that you do not disrupt classes, not just from the aspect of disrupting the educational process, but for the safety of students,” Asbell said. “We are all for you having free speech, but your safety is our number one concern. If you telegraph to madmen the exact time and location of all these unprotected children and where they are going to be, we can’t guarantee your safety.”

Asbell said Dalire has a problem with the school board keeping the children in its care and safe through the use of a written policy. He said that’s the way he views the letter and that’s his personal opinion. Asbell said he told his children they had better not walk out of their schools. Asbell outlined what he told his children.

“Basically whatever you do, I don’t care if the entire school leaves, don’t you walk out of that brick building or you will have to deal with me and you don’t want to deal with me. They’re safe,” Asbell said. “There is a proper way for students to protest and let their voices be heard, but then safety is the primary concern.”

School Board of Levy County Regular Meeting Feb. 27, 2018
Posted March 1, 2018