California school board fires superintendent
TEMECULA, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Screaming and hollering inside a school board meeting in Temecula after the board voted three-to-one to fire Superintendent Jodi McClay.
Educators in the audience chanted McClay's name as she waved goodbye. Her 25 year career in the district ended with a closed door firing.
This amid the conservative majority board's controversial ban on books in its social studies curriculum over one text's mention of gay rights champion Harvey Milk.
"I am horrified that teachers are being targeted for the basic space work they do to provide students a safe space to be themselves," said Edgar Diaz, an educator.
"It is our goal as brothers, sisters and family members to guard those children. To protect them with our very lives," said Andrew Enriquez, another educator.
Overstepping their bounds
But people protesting outside the meeting think those educators are overstepping their bounds by talking about issues pertaining to gender identity.
"LGBTQ, transgender, gender dysphoria," said Chauncey Killens, a protestor.
"Once you read that information and you take it into yourself, it's not like if you eat a bad meal you can throw it up. It's in your brain now," said Tracy Nolasco, a parent.
"We need education, not indoctrination," said another parent.
"Making something out of nothing"
"If we could indoctrinate them on anything, we'd probably first indoctrinate them on how to listen and pay attention," said Matt Paulson, a teacher.
Paulson says the Harvey Milk biography parents were so opposed to wasn't going to be purchased as part of the curriculum anyway, and leaving these schools without texts over it does a disservice to their kids.
"I think it's making something out of nothing," Paulson spoke.
