A Cincinnati school board meeting briefly erupted in chaos earlier this week when one woman grabbed the phone of another as students spoke in defense of a pro-LGBTQ+ mural.
An attendee was just escorted out during public comment — while a student was speaking about being bullied — for getting up into another attendee’s face and grabbing her cell phone while she was recording. @Enquirer pic.twitter.com/qSH8ZE9TFf
As Fox News reported in 2021, Stewart is one of four parents who were elected to the Forest Hills School District board with no prior experience on a platform against what they characterized as “critical race theory.” At Wednesday night’s meeting, Stewart wore a yellow Gadsden flag t-shirt. The flag, which dates back to the American Revolution, has become associated with right-leaning libertarians.
According to WVXU, speakers during the meeting’s public comment period criticized Superintendent Larry Hook’s decision to paint over the LGBTQ+ inclusive mural at Nagel Middle School. The mural was created by students years ago but was covered by a banner touting the district’s new “Culture Blueprint” when students returned this year. After the banner was torn down, the mural was painted over in what Hook said was part of the district’s “rebranding efforts.”
WVXU reports attendees held up signs of the mural each time Hook spoke at the meeting. Hook declined to address speakers’ criticisms during the meeting, but afterward, he told reporters that he had spoken to people who were upset by the mural. “So it’s kind of created this battle that shouldn’t even be in schools,” he said. “We need to focus on our education. We need to focus on what’s important. That doesn’t mean we marginalize anybody.”
