School board votes to keep book amid citizen divide 

The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) unanimously approved a recommendation to keep “It Feels Good to be Yourself” in the Terwilliger Elementary School library during a regular meeting on Tuesday. 

The approval was quickly followed by citizen input from speakers on both sides of the issue, who complained they were not given time to comment before the vote. 

Board attorney David Delaney told commenters that they stood up to speak after the board had already called for comment and passed that portion of the meeting. 

District attorney Susan Seigle brought the recommendation before the board, and after a motion and second, School Board Chair Diyonne McGraw called for the one citizen who had submitted a form ahead of time, but he said he did not want to comment on that item. 

After asking if there was any further discussion, McGraw called for a vote and the board unanimously approved the recommendation. 

Immediately following the vote, McGraw asked whether Crystal Marull, the parent who filed a complaint against the book, was present. She was not, but other citizens in attendance wanted to comment on the topic. They were allowed to speak using the regular three-minute citizen input time that comes at the end of a meeting, which happened to be the next item on the agenda. 

“We’ve given much liberty to schools to make some decisions, and the media specialists,” Jan Gordon, a parent, told the board. “Our Florida government has stated that topics of sexual behavior and gender identity are not to be a part of our children’s education under ninth grade.” 

Gordon told the board that young children should be free to have a childhood without books discussing topics like gender identity. In an echo of Marull’s challenge to the book, she argued that “It Feels Good to be Yourself” is not age appropriate. 

Sadie Matteucci, a teacher at Gainesville High School, said she had learned the number of book challenges has reached 25, and that those challenges come from six people. Matteucci chastised the board for allowing these challenges and the removal of books from school media centers. 

“You have been elected by members of our community to represent your constituents,” Matteucci told the board. “The least you could do is speak out. The least you could do is question the state. 

While citizens on both sides of the issue took turns at the podium, Marull also arrived at the meeting and asked for her 10-minute time slot to present her argument to the board. McGraw and Delaney informed her that the item had already passed, but allowed her the same three minutes as other attendees. 

Delaney noted that there were no written requests for public comment at the time of the vote. In previous meetings, the board has taken comment on agenda items from citizens who did not submit forms, including phone calls. 

Marull used her three minutes to deliver part of the argument she had prepared, telling the board that the books she has challenged are not appropriate for children without parental guidance. 

“How people self-identify, and what a family chooses to teach their kids about right and wrong, is totally up to them… However, parents are not in schools with their children,” Marull said. “So as parents we put faith in our school system and expect the school will not only educate our children at the right age-appropriate level, but also protect them from content that is too mature for them, especially during their formative years.” 

In the same meeting, the board unanimously approved an educational plant spot survey for Littlewood Elementary School, the old Terwilliger Elementary School and Manning Administrative Annex. The survey, which must be conducted at least every five years, concluded that the administrative annex and Littlewood would both need remodeling. 

The survey estimated a $2,500,000 price tag for the administrative annex renovations, remodel and improvements, and another $35,477,257 for renovations, remodeling and new construction at Littlewood. Among other changes, several Littlewood buildings would be demolished, and two new classroom buildings would be put up, resulting in the removal of all portables from the site. 

The old Terwilliger site is deemed in the survey to be “no longer needed for educational purposes,” so is planned for demolition for $750,000.