Parents and activists press Putnam school board for full access to Ripple Effects SEL materials

Three public commenters urged the Putnam County School Board on May 27 to provide unrestricted public access to curriculum materials purchased from third-party vendors, renewing scrutiny of the district’s use of Ripple Effects social-emotional learning (SEL) content.

Kathleen Murray, state education director for Citizens Defending Freedom, told the board that materials bought with taxpayer dollars are public records and that parents have a right to inspect them. "Materials purchased with taxpayer dollars are public records and parents have a right to inspect them," Murray said, citing the Florida Public Records Act and the Parents' Bill of Rights.

Marsha Metzger, who said she completed a four-hour review of Ripple Effects materials with Destination Knowledge’s CEO, said reviewers were restricted to handwritten notes with no screenshots or copies allowed. Metzger handed the board documents she said show Chapter 119 concerns and a cost-per-pupil analysis questioning large expenditures on the therapeutic-education model. "When we were restricted to only handwritten notes only... I did not get that information during this particular review," Metzger said.

Jack Knocky, who said he drove two hours to attend, urged the board to preserve and publish records and described what he said were transparency failures in Nassau County, where litigation over access lasted years. "Ripple Effects and social emotional learning promotes an alternative spirituality," Knocky said, adding his claim that some Ripple Effects materials direct students to external resources and that certain student journals were not shared with parents.

Speakers referenced a Nassau County case they said required full access to materials and awarded attorney fees after a prolonged records fight; speakers urged the Putnam board to publish the district’s Ripple Effects materials and allow unfiltered inspection. They asked the district to post materials on the public website and to end practices that, they contend, impede parental review.

The board did not take formal action on the public comments during the meeting. Chair remarks indicated staff would follow up on records and that the board had received the documents attendees provided for the record. The speakers recommended full compliance with public-records law and unrestricted access to the Ripple Effects educator professional-development modules and related materials.