You Can’t Prohibit Profanity in Board Meetings Without Prohibiting it in School Libraries (Opinion)

HAGERSTOWN, MD News (6/21/2024) – In a move that is extremely hypocritical, the Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) Board of Education has attempted to prohibit the use of profanity during board meetings, even as books containing explicit content remain available in school libraries. This decision has raised serious questions about the consistency of the board’s policies and its commitment to free speech, as well as respecting the rights of parents to bring their grievances to the board through public comment.

The American Library Association (ALA) defines a challenge to a book as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” The ALA also maintains a list of the top 10 most challenged books in the United States. Of the top nine books on this list, seven are present in WCPS libraries, and two are available to middle school students. Some of these books contain explicit content that has raised concerns among parents and community members.

Warning: The following meeting has been unedited and contains profanity.

For instance, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson is available in high schools and includes LGBTQIA+ content that some claim is sexually explicit. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, also found in high schools, depicts sexual abuse and includes content that some have labeled as explicit. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, available in both middle and high schools, depicts sexual abuse, drug use, and includes profanity. We have an analysis of the content of WCPS libraries in a previous article.

Recently, at the June 18th Board of Education meeting, local activist and parent Shaun Porter was chastised by board President Melissa Williams for using profanity while criticizing the board’s handling of issues concerning his deaf son. Williams attempted to move the meeting into closed session while Porter was still speaking, but the attempt failed as it did not receive a second. Porter reached out to us and indicated that he believes this was an attempt to cut the streaming feed through prior restraint, so that any additional comments would not be included in the public record.

“I have a First Amendment right to tell you my opinions. This is the right to redress of grievances in your face, Miss Williams,” stated Porter. “You guys are going to silence my free speech because you don’t like what I’m saying. That’s viewpoint discrimination.” None of Porter’s comments seemed to exceed the levels of profanity or offensive content which is contained in books in the WCPS library.

Williams responded by requesting that Porter refrain from using profanity in his comments. However, the inconsistency in the board’s handling of explicit content has been noted by many. When local parent Ashley McCusker read directly from books containing explicit content during a previous Board of Education meeting, she was not asked to cease, likely only because those are books present in the WCPS libraries.

Editor’s Note: Williams is up for re-election in this year’s Board of Education race, along with McCusker also running for Board of Education.

“When I read aloud sexually explicit materials from books contained in our WCPS libraries, the lawyers for the school said the books couldn’t be removed because of freedom of speech,” said Ashley McCusker in a statement to Radio Free Hub City. “When my speech was aired, the majority of what I read out of the library books had to be bleeped out. Things are so backward that the majority of the board (split 4/3) will fight to allow sexually explicit materials to be distributed to minors under the guise of freedom of speech. Yet, in a meeting full of adults, Melissa Williams actually tried to suppress freedom of speech. This doesn’t mean I condone this sort of speech in this setting, but consistency is needed. Parent to parent I want Mr. Porter to know I am sorry about how his son was treated!”

While the board attempts to enforce a no-profanity rule during its meetings, books containing similar language and themes are available to students in Middle and High Schools. This discrepancy has led to multiple accusations of viewpoint discrimination and questions about the board’s commitment to addressing parental concerns.

Porter’s case underscores the need for the WCPS Board of Education to reevaluate its policies. It is crucial for the board to ensure that it is not only upholding standards of decorum during meetings but also addressing the content concerns raised by parents and activists. The board’s actions must be consistent and transparent to maintain trust and credibility within the community.

We absolutely recognize that the WCPS Board of Education faces a challenging task in balancing the enforcement of its rules with the need to respect and address the concerns of its constituents. It is imperative for the board to engage openly with the community and reconsider its approach to both explicit content in school libraries and the language used in public meetings.

As a strong supporter of the first amendment and freedom of speech, I hope that the Board of Education will do better in future meetings. Or as I stated in a previous opinion story, maybe it’s time to just vote them all out and replace them with a new board. The board in its current state really reminds me of this quote…

“Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.” –Author Unknown

As always, should any members of the Board of Education (or anyone else for that matter) wish to comment on this matter, we will happily publish those comments. We did not reach out to the Board of Education in our standing policy regarding email communications to government entities.

Opinion article by Ken Buckler, President of RFHC. All opinions are his own, and do not reflect those of our clients or sponsors.