A pastor was removed from the Midland ISD’s school board meeting on Tuesday after expressing his concerns about a book available in campus libraries that depicts rape, pedophilia, incest, abuse, and molestation.
Pastor John K. Amanchukwu said that the book Push by Sapphire should immediately be removed from campus libraries, per The Post Millennial.
He proceeded to read passages from the book that graphically describe acts of incest as told from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being raped by her father and mother.
“This needs to be removed tonight! We have men on this board. And I want to say to these men that’s on this board, if you don’t remove this book, you’re either a punk or a pervert!” Amanchukwu told MISD school board members at the March 19 meeting.
Pastor John K. Amanchukwu reads a book titled “Push”, this book depicts, p*dophilia, rape, molestation, abuse, pervasive vulgarity, and racism.
The school board MUTES his mic.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 20, 2024
His mic was muted as he continued to repeat that message, and Midland ISD police escorted him from the meeting.
Amanchukwu is a preacher, author, and activist from North Carolina who has traveled around the country attending school board meetings, speaking out against potentially inappropriate books in school libraries and “woke” school board members, according to his website.
Other parents and advocates also voiced concerns about potentially inappropriate books in the school district’s campus libraries during the board meeting, as reported by the Midland Reporter-Telegram.
Local pastor Johnny Paredes said the book Me & Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews was filled with foul language, depictions of sex acts, and messages promoting disrespect, racism, and violence.
A former Midland ISD teacher said the book Shout by Laurie Anderson discusses guns and describes a game of “Russian roulette.”
Alma Thompson, a parent of a former Midland ISD student, claimed the book Identical by Ellen Hopkins was “pornography,” adding that it glorifies drug use, casual sex, incest, and suicide.
Following the Tuesday board meeting, Midland ISD issued a statement in response to the complaints.
“MISD has collected the books of concern that were brought to the attention of the school board to expedite the review process and will follow the legal framework and board policy … to review them. MISD takes this very seriously and will take appropriate action upon review of the books. … Should community members discover a book they find to be objectionable, they are encouraged to bring their concerns to the attention of administrators in accordance with board policy,” the statement read, per NewsWest 9.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas ISD met backlash from the public for making potentially inappropriate content available to students, for instance, posting a guide for students on how to transition genders, which highlighted local facilities that offer resources for transitioning. The guide listed two Dallas-based clinics that facilitate transgender hormone usage. The document also recommended books with transgender content, such as My Princess Boy and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress.
