SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. — The controversy over books in schools continued in Spotsylvania County Monday night after concern of a book burning at the district's school board meeting led to an increased law enforcement presence.
Last month the board voted to pull all "sexually explicit" material from school libraries. That decision was reversed a week later but did not end the debate.
At Monday night's Spotsylvania County Public School Board meeting dozens of parents, teachers, and community members addressed the board.
"I truly believe that every member of our community deserves to have representation, our school must be free of politics," Leigh Haverstick said. “I’ve never ever thought I would come to a school board meeting and see eleven police and marked cars in the parking lot. I feel I’m in a different time and universe of some dystopian novel.”
"I don’t want my children without my knowledge to be able to be exposed to graphic depictions of child exploitation, child rape, graphic sexual encounters," Daniel Latham said. “I’m not trying to make a judgment call against anyone else. If they want to live is how they want to live and that’s to each their own, but I should have that say over my children and I just don’t feel like I do now and I’m not alone in that.”
Also during Monday night's school board meeting, the board approved in a 4-3 vote the agreement for Dr. Scott Baker to resign as superintendent at the end of the school year.
Haverstick said that didn’t come as a shock as the landscape of the school board prepares for a change.
“It makes me sad. It makes me sad for our school system and it makes me sad that there are so many teachers that love him," Haverstick said. "He’s been a great support.”
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