Agenda - 11-15-2022; 8-a - Minutes

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19 1 resolution says students from Orange High School shared information with the Board of 2 Education. She said they were solicited and compelled by the school board. She said a 3 previous school board member, Hillary McKenzie, said they went into a school classroom and 4 showed them video of the protest and then asked them to comment. She said that this is how 5 the student comments were obtained. She said that these board members and administration 6 used their positions to manipulate students. She said they are using this to silence any voice of 7 opposing views. She said that this policy should not be passed. 8 David Kolbinsky said he has lived in Orange county for half a century. He said he was 9 asked to highlight the cost of this ordinance. He said that he looked up lawsuits and there were 10 many instances of people suing school boards for speech issues. He said that this ordinance 11 will abridge the first amendment right of free speech. He said that the ordinance has morphed 12 again and it seems they forgot about the proud boys. He said he was twice elected to the school 13 board. He said that the signs simply had a website listed and they were walking in public 14 highways when the people of the school board did not like it. He said when the school board 15 made the presentation for this, the assistant superintendent said this is for some people that 16 disagree with certain policies of the Board. 17 Ingrid Conley said there is no Orange County social justice impact goal associated with 18 this item. She said this is absurd. She said that the school board resolution states that it is 19 centered around social justice. She then read from the school board's resolution. She said they 20 intended to use the hate resolution to support the picketing ordinance. She said that the 21 intended social justice impact is that it will prevent students from being recruited from white 22 supremacists. She said that it will disrupt discrimination and challenge discriminatory behavior. 23 She said why are they not acknowledging the social justice issues that the school board clearly 24 stated. She said that they should provide an explanation of how it has no social justice goal 25 impact. 26 Sophia Stewart said she graduated from Cedar Ridge High School in 2016. She said the 27 picketing ordinance says that gathering for a common purpose is prohibited in school property 28 and even on private property. She asked what the right of the public to peaceably assemble 29 means. She said it reminds her of 1968 when the City of Memphis tried to prohibit Dr. Martin 30 Luther King, Jr. from continuing to march because of the recent violence. She said that in his 31 final speech, he said that they were going into court to fight the illegal injunction and that 32 America should be true to what it says on paper. She said that if you read the transcript, you will 33 see that "the wellbeing of children" is used over and over. She said that they said certain words 34 of Dr. King's were "threatening to children." She asked for them to not approve the ordinance 35 because history is watching. 36 Jacquie Barker said commissioners claim the reason for this ordinance is to protect 37 children but have not passed ordinances related to drugs, alcohol, pornography or social media 38 while at school. She asked how this ordinance will stop students from hurting others feelings. 39 She said there must be a long list of protests where students have been harmed since this 40 ordinance has yet to be adopted. She said that if they are really protecting children from seeing 41 protests, then they should just ban them from the whole town. She said it has been a year since 42 the need to have this discussion. She read a quote from President Truman. She said this must 43 be where Orange County feels they are — in a period of increasing difficulty and danger. She 44 asked that in 2022 is preventing students from witnessing a peaceful protest with messages 45 they think are wrong, justification for abridging first amendment rights. 46 David Ogden asked how one person gathers. He said it is true that the superintendents 47 are creative. He said they made up reverse pre-crime where you can create an ordinance to 48 that would have caused arrests had the ordinance previously been in place. He said they want 49 to prevent hate speech. He said they know they cannot prevent type of speech, so they instead 50 are suppressing all speech. He said that when you hold a group back, you are creating a 51 situation where neither you nor them can be free. He said that this would make it illegal for