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Public forum speakers press APS on sexually explicit materials and district gender policies during board meeting
Summary
Multiple public commenters on Feb. 5 urged Albuquerque Public Schools to audit library and instructional materials for explicit sexual content and questioned district policies on gender identity and how schools respond to students undergoing gender transition; speakers cited federal guidance and an executive order as grounds for district action.
Several public speakers at the Feb. 5 Albuquerque Public Schools board meeting urged the district to audit books and classroom materials for sexually explicit content and criticized district practices related to gender-identity accommodations, citing federal guidance and an executive order announced at the national level.
A parent identified as Mikhail Peterson (appearing as Mikaela/Mikhail in the transcript) told the board the district had more than "3,000 books" with explicit content and asked the district to conduct a transparent materials review and adopt a policy defining age-appropriate materials. "This isn't just a policy issue. It's a child safety issue," the speaker said, urging a full inventory and policy. Casey Peterson and another speaker repeated similar concerns about material standards and recommended standards comparable to broadcasting or federal guidelines for age-appropriateness.
A number of speakers also addressed gender-identity policies and medical transition of minors. Several speakers invoked an executive order announced earlier at the federal level and urged the board to adopt policies they described as protecting children from medical interventions; others spoke about religious and moral objections. Mary Walker Herrera, an APS educational assistant, read a graphic excerpt from a book and cited a study she said showed higher suicide risk among some transgender populations; she asked "Would you prevent this from happening in our community, school board members?"
A group of speakers cited the recent White House executive order (described in public comments as directing federal agencies to reassess reliance on certain medical guidance) and urged the board to align district policies with federal agency reviews. Speakers asked for a district-wide audit of library and curricular materials, clearer local guidance on age appropriateness and accuracy in sexual-health content, and stronger policies on how schools accommodate or notify families about gender-related matters.
District staff did not present a response at the Feb. 5 meeting; trustees thanked speakers for raising concerns. The board did not take immediate policy action during the meeting. Several speakers asked the board to institute a formal materials review process and to consider policy amendments; the transcript records no board votes or formal referrals on these subjects during the session.
