Temecula Valley Unified School District fires superintendent
The Temecula Valley Unified School District voted to fire their beloved superintendent after the school board's controversial book ban.
"I am horrified that teachers are being targeted for the basic work they do to provide students a safe space to be themselves," said educator Edgar Diaz.
Educators in the audience chanted now-former superintendent Jodi McClay's name as she waved goodbye after getting fired in a closed-door meeting Tuesday evening. McClay's firing comes after the school board controversially banned a textbook that mentioned gay rights champion Harvey Milk and their school board president referred to the assassinated politician as a pedophile.
"It's our goal as brothers, sisters and family members to guard those children — to protect them with our very lives," said educator Andrew Enriquez.
However, protesters outside the meeting believed educators are overstepping their bounds by talking about issues pertaining to gender identity.
"Once you read that information and you take it into yourself, it's not like you eat a bad meal you can throw it up. It's in your brain now," said parent Tracy Nolasco.
The battle over books has been an ongoing conflict in Republican-controlled states as communities demand school boards limit discussions of race and sexual orientation. One parent outside of the TVUSD meeting described the lessons as "indoctrination" rather than education.
"If we could indoctrinate them on anything we'd probably first indoctrinate them on how to listen and pay attention," said teacher Matt Paulson.
Paulson added that the Milk biography parents were so opposed to wasn't going to be purchased as part of the curriculum. He claimed that leaving schools without texts does a disservice to students.
"I think it's making something out of nothing," said Paulson.