Residents, clergy call for resignation of board member over alleged remarks; library and book restrictions also criticized

Several parents, clergy and members of the public urged the Clay County School Board on Feb. 5 to take action after allegations that a board member made racist remarks, and they criticized district media standards that could limit access to books about transgender children.

Erin Frick, a parent and licensed clinical social worker, told the board she remained “still concerned about the racist comments by Mr. Alvaro” and said the community had lost trust in district leadership. “I don’t see any way forward but for a resignation,” she said.

Reverend Demetri Burke said students were upset and called for accountability. “If I was a parent I would be a part of the cadre of people requesting resignation of District 2 School Board Member,” Burke said, attributing the loss of trust to the remarks.

Not all public commenters pushed for immediate removal. Bruce Friedman, who addressed the board later in the comment period, said removal authority is limited: “No one has the authority to make mister Alvaro step down except the governor.”

Commenters also raised separate but related concerns about library materials and district policy. One attendee urged the board to strengthen its rubric for evaluating titles such as The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak, which the speaker described as containing “grotesque profanity.” Erin Frick and others criticized a proposal discussed at a recent workshop that, they said, could restrict stories about transgender children; Frick said such books “are an important part of mental health.”

Transportation issues surfaced in public comment as well. A parent described repeated problems with the district’s bus scanning system, saying her child received a disciplinary referral after the scanner failed and asking for video and transparency from school administrators.

The board did not take formal action on the allegations or on book-policy changes during the meeting. No board member used the public-comment period to rebut the specific allegations; Mr. Alvaro did speak later in the meeting on an unrelated policy-review item but did not address the calls for his resignation in the public-comment segments recorded in the transcript.

What happens next: Speakers urged the board to provide more transparency and to place related policy items on future agendas. The transcript shows public pressure and multiple requests for follow-up, but no formal investigation or personnel action was recorded during the Feb. 5 meeting.