JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Four Duval County School Board Members are coming under fire for wearing shirts with a nod to the organization founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
“He was a father of two children,” said Board Member April Carney (District 2) before an audience member yelled from the back of the room in response.
“Miss, you’re out of order!” Board Chair Charlotte Joyce (District 6) shouted in an effort to stop the back and forth.
That exchange was one of several moments where tensions boiled over during Tuesday night’s meeting, with Carney, Joyce, and Board Members Melody Bolduc (District 7) and Anthony Ricardo’s (District 1) pink tee-shirts bearing the words “this is the turning point” at the center of the controversy.
Joyce explained she had the shirts custom-made as a way to honor Kirk, and also thought the phrase was fitting for breast cancer awareness, which was the reason members had initially decided to wear pink during the meeting.
“Because when we talk about cancer, we want this to be the turning point,” said Joyce.
The controversy comes on the heels of a wave of teacher firings, reassignments, and investigations in Duval and across the state related to controversial statements made by educators criticizing Kirk or celebrating his assassination in the immediate aftermath of his death.
Given those recent events, some members of the public who were in attendance Tuesday night, like Mandy Rubin, viewed the board members’ display as hypocritical.
“Surely you can see the optics aren’t aligning here, and it really calls into question the board’s neutrality,” said Rubin.
Florida law does limit elected officials’ ability to campaign when acting in their official capacity, and Duval School Board rules do require members to “act and dress professionally” during official meetings.
Even still, UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder told Action News Jax it would be difficult to argue the members violated any laws or policies.
“Turning Point isn’t running for office. They’re not an official political party. While yes, they are a registered PAC, it does not appear that anybody was actively soliciting for donations to said PAC,” said Binder. ”So, while certainly, you know, questionable and maybe not the most professional attire, it does not appear at all to be illegal necessarily.”
School board positions are nonpartisan, though there was a push to make them partisan by putting the question to voters last November.
The measure earned 55 percent support, which fell short of the 60 percent needed to pass.
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