Hillsborough school board gets earful on CAIR

They wore red to the Hillsborough County School Board meeting, and it had nothing to do with Valentine's Day — and there certainly was no love fest between some board members and most members of the audience.

At issue — again — was the presence of a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations at Steinbrenner High School late last year in an advanced placement world history course.

A handful of speakers lined up again Tuesday at the meeting, telling the board how wrong it was for an organization it says has ties to terrorism to be allowed into a classroom to address students. Dozens of others, many wearing red, were in the audience for support.

Just as they did at a meeting last month, they urged the board to have a workshop on the matter.

Again, however, the effort failed.

"This is a really serious issue that is not going to go away," Terry Kemple, an eastern Hillsborough social conservative, told the board. "You can see the concern of the people in the community."

Others agreed.

"Listen to us this time," urged Kimberly Kelley. "This is not someone coming and teaching about a religion, but an agenda. This school board needs to step up and take a stance."

Kristina Gionet drove from Pinellas County with a message for the board.

"If CAIR comes across the Bay," she said, "we will stop them at the Howard Frankland Bridge."

Board chairwoman Candy Olson said she was not happy with the group attacking teachers for the way they conduct their classes.

"We send teachers home when they are not good," she said.

"We want to send you home," one person in the audience countered.

Board member Stacy White made a motion for the workshop to be held and for public comment to be allowed. He got hearty applause and a standing ovation from some.

But board member Doretha Edgecomb wondered aloud about the wisdom of public comment at such a workshop, saying it would turn into a three-ring circus.

"It may be Islam today versus something else tomorrow," she said.

After much debate, the motion failed 5-2. White and Susan Valdes were on the losing end.

"I make a motion to get rid of you all," someone in the audience yelled as the meeting concluded.

"We will be back," another said.

Gionet could not believe the board voted as it did.

"It is absolutely unfathomable to me," she said. "A lot of them are up for re-election. They want to be politically correct."