News
By Michael Hernandez, 6-14-24, updated 6-15-24
FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA—The Nassau County School Board on June 13 voted 4-0 (not present was Board Member Shannon Hogue, District 1) to deny the world history textbook objection presented last month by Executive Director Jack Knocke, Nassau County Citizens Defending Freedom. Instead, the Board followed the recommendation of Hearing Officer Sharyl Wilkes Wood who recommended the adoption of “Florida World History Interactive”—a Savvas textbook publisher for use by Nassau County high school world history students.

- Sharyl Wilkes Wood (34:13-41:56): “Before we start, I would like to say thank you Mr. Knocke for engaging the process of textbook selection and in life it is good to hear different positions on an issue: discern facts from opinions and way evidence to come to a conclusion setting aside bias. Our government puts a high value on people’s participation which is only meaningful if people do participate. The ability to call for the reconsideration of materials is an important function. It is one way that we can confirm that our government is acting in the best interest of its people and to affirm the government’s action is a reflection of the will of the majority while considering the desires of the minority….
- …“In summary, the evidence provide by Mr. Knocke did not cover the objection where specific examples were given from the textbook. The objections were not due to students’ need not being met nor students being unable to understand the material. The objection stated Mr. Knocke’s personal objection to the material based on political, philosophical and or religious ideology.”
The Hearing Recommendations full text:


Editor’s Note: See the following Citizens Journal Florida stories:
May 2:
May 23:
(Editor’s Note: The first six public comments to Agenda Item F—Item 5 follow.)

- Ryan Perkins (42.52-46:04): “I am a Nassau County teacher. The protesting group is protesting one page of a visual timeline because the timeline mentions the manifesto of the communist party and Charles Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species.’ This group is asking how do these two events play a part in the Industrial Revolution? This group seems to believe that the Industrial Revolution is purely related to the mechanization of industry and fail to understand the importance of workers during this period. Had the group actually read the actual textbook they would have realized the textbook answers the questions they asked.
“The textbook explains where and how communism originated during the Industrial Revolution and also explains how communism lost its appeal because the standard of living of the working class improved during this era. I also believe that this group does not understand; we are required to teach about communism in world history and in all other history classes. As social studies teachers in Florida, we are also required to teach about the evils of communism and it’s increasing threat.
“This group also mentions Darwinism and the textbook does reference the controversial new idea of Darwin’s theory and even states controversy over Darwin’s theory has continued to this day. Then the textbook goes on to explain how Darwin never provided any social ideas but others adopted the ‘survival of the fittest’ and applied it to human society thus creating the term ‘social Darwinism.’ Immediately following the three paragraphs on Darwinism is the role of religion and explains the importance of teaching Christian principles during this era. Isn’t this group arguing for a balanced discussion to ensure that Christian ideals are presented? We should not cater to this group’s politics nor involve them with our county and students.”
- George Miller (46:13-49:19): “I heard Ms. Wood and I have observed the book selection from a distance. I didn’t read the 1,100 page book but I did go through the portions that Mr. Knocke identified and I did agree with him. I also heard Mr. Perkin’s points as well. I can say that the book is on the approved list for the state. As far as meeting the needs of the children, it does not appear that it addresses a balanced view of these things.
“Mr. Perkins, it was not just one chart that was objected to, you might want to read Mr. Knocke’s entire presentation. The questions I had were those things in fact in the text? Yes, they were. Were they objectionable? We have some disagreement on that. It was stated that it was 92.8 percent compliant, it probably is. I haven’t read the 1,100 pages to verify it. But what would happen with the seven percent that were not compliant? If a particular person, had a 99 percent behavioral record but the one percent was a murder then it is kind of moot. The percentage is not that important.
“Should these items be in a textbook? I think ‘No.’ If some items were not to be taught, could they be left out? Is there some mechanism on changing them? The summary page shows a lack of understanding of the industrial revolution. As a retired 45-year manufacturing guy and consultant, I can say that there is a lot more to the Industrial Revolution. That needs some work. So should these be in the textbook or not? Probably not.
“Was the process followed? Mr. Durham made a very good presentation where he showed the process was indeed followed, but the qualitative aspects come up. If it is a small percentage, how should it be dealt with? Is there another textbook available? We were told there are only two approved textbooks on the state list The fact is that you don’t have to order a textbook from the approved list. Up to 50 percent of materials can be used for a non-approved (text)book. There are alternatives you can look at in the future.
“I do have a question about the review officer: she was presented as an unbiased person, but some of the comments she made at the first session and a little review of her social media (show) that she is not really an unbiased person at all. We have to factor that into the equation as well. I’m not sure how she was chosen, but it might have been better for public consumption if someone was picked who was perceived more as an unbiased person.”

- Richard Lampken (49:25-52:00): “I am going to talk about the validity of creationism and the invalidity of evolutionism. The textbook is just focused on evolutionism and does not give any understanding of creationism. If you look at mitochondria DNA and the mutation rate, scientists have found that we could not have existed as a human race for all the years that evolutionists tell us we did because we have not mutated enough. We have only mutated a maximum of 120 times and it would have taken more like 3,000 times.
“In the area of Astrophysics, we are led to believe that somehow magically the perfect Astrophysics distance was established by the Big Bang so the earth wound up exactly where it needed to be in relationship to the sun. If you stop to think about what are the chances of that happening versus creation and the earth being put in the appropriate place by the Creator, the evolution theory loses an awful lot. In addition, in literature and archaeology, there is evidence in most cultures of a Great Flood which is a central event for those who believe in Creation.
“I just have to say that in the approach the school district has taken when it comes to these objections, I find them to be cowards of an extreme nature because they refuse to actually address the objection. They simply hide behind the apron of the Florida Department of Education and say they have approved so we have done our job. The objection either has merit or it does not have merit.
If you feel it does not have merit, then move forward with it but if it does have merit, you should address that and we who have filed these objections have a right to hear those objections spoken too.”
- Jeffery Hirschberg (52:08-54:14): “I earned by PhD in English literature nearly 50 years ago, that education and my experiences since then have led me to several principles. I believe in the power of the word to teach, to inspire, to open our eyes and ears to other worlds. I believe that literature and the teaching of history as in this textbook allows us to enhance the critical thinking skills of our students. I believe in the integrity and honesty of our teachers to explore those worlds and open our children’s minds. I believe that we entrust our public school educators with our children. If a parent or some other organization wants to restrict a child’s learning, I may disagree with that philosophy but there are processes in place to address our concerns. You certainly should not control the words in books to which my child is exposed in our exceptional Nassau County School District.
“Finally, I believe that history teaches us that when a system bars books, when a system burns books, when a system bans books, the attacks on people may not be too far behind.”
- Mr. David Cook (54:20-57:10): “I was on a school board for 12 years and this is one of the worst summaries of a hearing officer that I have ever read about. First of all, she says that the objection was not about student’s needs not being met or the students’ inability to understand the material. Those are not the only criteria.
“The Governor and the legislature in 2022, passed a law that I have a summary right here that it is about public participation in instructional review of materials. The public and parents have a right to object as well. Their views need to be heard and weighed. This is not the only criteria that we need to weigh. The whole purpose of this law passed with a Senate vote of 21-15 and a House vote of 79-41. They thought it was important for the public, students, parents and whoever else to have a say in this process and not just the two criteria she used to do this.
“Secondly, it is insulting to say that Mr. Knocke’s textbook objection was based on politically, philosophical, and/or religious ideology. That is just insulting. How can she (Ms. Wood) know that? As a hearing officer, she has a philosophical opinion. I am sure she has some kind of religious ideology. I don’t know what it is but we all have that. Every person here has one of those—a philosophical and religious ideology so just to dismiss this (objection) on those counts is ridiculous.
“No matter what the process was, you have to make hard decisions. I am not deeply aware of all the issues but at the end of the day no matter what the process was, did we get the right product? I worked at a nuclear power plant and if we had a great process but if the reactor shut down and 20 percent of northern Illinois lost their electricity in a split-second the superintendent did not care about
the process he wanted to know about the end result and that is what you have to decide. I don’t care what the process was like. You have to decide what is appropriate for this community and our moral values.”
(Editor’s Note: Nassau County School Board Attorney Brett Steiger: “The criteria was based on the objection filed. If another objection is filed, raising those issues, it is something to be considered. But Hearing Officer Wood—addressed the issues raised in the objection.)
- James Glackin (57:45-1:01:03): “I am here tonight to support the adoption of the recommended textbook. I know I support the community’s ability to participate in the process, I wanted to discourage the delay caused by the Citizens Defending Freedom challenge from happening in the future. Because of this challenge, our teachers lost valuable planning and preparation time. Instead of beginning to organize their lessons for next year, teachers continued to be left in limbo wondering what resource they would use for next year.
“When the concept of challenging textbooks started, I was relieved that I taught math. Nobody could be offended by math. But one of the justifications for the current challenge is not the textbook itself, but the editorial guideline of the publisher. So, I can only assume my textbooks are coming soon.
“Savvas has read the research and knows that students learn better when they are engaged in a problem and they are more likely to be engaged in that problem if they can see themselves in that problem. Not every math problem should have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John buying hotdogs and popcorn after deciding how many vans and buses they needed to get to the baseball game. It is okay if Kareem arranges buses for a Black Lives Matter rally. That is not teaching critical race theory. A factual chart showing that the percentage of people identify as LGBTQ over the years is not some woke political statement. These examples would be publishers and teachers making sure that every student knows we see you and you matter.
“My biggest concern about this challenge about the books already approved by the Florida Department of Education is the criteria they used to evaluate the textbook.
“I have an master’s and PhD in mathematics. I have taught math at the collegiate and high school levels and when I evaluate a textbook, I ask the following: ‘Does it cover all the material required in this course? Does it present the material at a level my students will understand? Does it present the material in a logical order? Does it have digital resources that will aid in student understanding and save teachers’ valuable time. Bottom Line: What book gives my students the best chance to succeed? In my opinion this is a much better way to evaluate textbooks than going page by page searching for potential offensive material.
“Speaking of offensive, what I do find offensive is the insinuation or sometimes the outright accusation that teachers are indoctrinating students. If something like that were happening, then and I have not heard of it in my 10 years in Nassau County, then no textbook in the world is going to prevent that. Only swift disciplinary action by this board would.
“Approve the textbook tonight and let’s establish an adoption process that ensures teachers and the resources they will have for the following year before th end of the current year.”

- Jack Knocke (1:18:36-: “Everything we presented was factually coming out of the book…Citizens Defending Freedom is not a fringe group but a local group of parents and grandparents. We are fighting to get the right books in our schools. If we don’t do it today, it will be harder to do it tomorrow.”
(Editor’s Note: Mr. Knocke’s opening comments were muted and then lost to the viewer in the Nassau County School Board video archive of the June 13 meeting. Some 34 minutes of the Board meeting were not available for viewing with a message displaying “network error.” We were able to get some of it live.)

Robin Lentz: “I am very interested in this group’s (Citizens Defending Freedom) promoting around town and running as a 501 (c3 or c4). Does Mr. Knocke receive salary for standing up to complain about textbooks? CDF needs to be more transparent on how they operate?”
- Sheila O.: “I am the parent of two children in this district. The Southern Poverty Law Center says that Citizens Defending Freedom is a hate group.”
- Margaret Weeks: “I have taught science and technology in the community colleges for 17 years. Truth does not need an apologist or indoctrination. Students need how to think and not what to think. Religion’s place is in the homes not to replace science in our schools. I want my grandchildren to learn social emotional learning skills.”

Seth T., an incoming junior, spoke on denying the textbook objection stating “are we going to allow religious beliefs” to dictate our textbook adoptions? Seth advocated for separation of church and state as did Rachel Steele who called Citizens for Defending Freedom a “well-funded outside group with narrow views”; math teacher James Glackin defended the Savvas editorial guidelines; and David Cook said Mr. Knocke’s textbook objection was based on his “political, philosophical and religious ideology.” According to Jeffery Hirschberg, “when a system bans books, burns books, the attack on people might not be too far behind.” Ryan Perkins said, “We must not cater to politics involving our county or our students.”
Nassau School Board Hears Special Presentation by Behavior Specialist

Nassau Lead Behavior Specialist Philip Kinard spoke to board members on how a team of behavior specialists, school psychologists, counselors, occupational and physical therapists as well as vision and hearing specialists were “helping students be successful.” He is the lead behavior specialist (which has eight serving in that capacity) in the Exceptional Student Department for over 12,000 students.
“What can you expect from us? We are problem solvers, eternal optimists, resilient, and cheerleaders that celebrate kids, teachers, and each other. We meet as a team every month and deal with problem behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting yelling, cursing, spitting.
“If you are not careful, you can develop negative (attitudes). But you (can) be positive. We are going to be positive, not dwelling on problems but on solutions. We help students gain the skill set to get their needs met on their own. We look at problem behavior then we reinforce appropriate behavior.”
Editor’s note: Citizens Journal Florida may also publish opinion articles received on this as well, but we wanted to get as objective a news article out as we could first to chronicle what happened.
Episcopal Children Services Given Teen Parent Contract 2024-2025
The Board gave Episcopal Children Services of Jacksonville a contract for Child Care Services from Aug. 12, 2024 to May 28, 2025 with services provided through Child Care Resource and Referral which provides parents with options for care and how to select and choose a quality program.
The Teen Parent Program is designated to provide a specialized curriculum to meet the needs of students who are pregnant or students who are mothers or fathers and the children of the students. The curriculum includes instruction in such topics as prenatal and postnatal health care, parenting skills, benefits of sexual abstinence and consequences of subsequent pregnancies.
Parenting skills include instruction in the stages of child growth and development, methods for aiding the intellectual, language, physical, and social development of children and guidance on constructive play activities.
Other School Board Action Items
- Approval (4-0 with motion by Board Member Gail Cook and second by Board Member Curtis Gaus) of Nassau County School Board Contract (F: Action Item 1) with North East Florida Educational Consortium which includes: $2.5 million for Risk Management (insurance which includes $1.1 million for property); $59,000 for Instructional Services Program; $32,000 for Building Code Administrator; $31,600 for Membership; $5,000 for Human Resources Management Network).
- Approval (4-0 with motion by Board Member Gaus and second by Board Member Lissa Braddock) of Yulee High School Classroom Building Additions Change Request (F: Action item 2).
- Approval (4-0 with motion by Board Member Braddock and second by Board Member Cook) accepting bid by Thomas May Construction of $449,000 for Callahan Middle School restroom renovations in Yulee (F: Action Item 3).
- Approval (4-0 with motion by Board Member Cook and second by Board Member Gaus) for Emergency Action for Wildlight Portable setup (F: Action Item 4).
Donations (Consent Agenda E: Item 11)
- $5,000 from Church of Eleven 22 (Jacksonville) for Art Program/Class.
- $2,500 football donation from Courtney Russell.
- $2,500 for auto supplies from the wife of the late Floyd Garrett.
- $1,256.95 from VyStar of Jacksonville for teacher and student supplies.
June 13 School Board Agenda
Watch June 13 School Board Meeting (Meeting Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes)
https://nassaucountysd.new.swagit.com/views/569/live
Next School Board Meeting: June 27 6:30 p.m. / Budget Workshop: 5 p.m.
June 18 Hearing For Citizens Defending Freedom Lawsuit Against Nassau County School Board at Fernandina Beach County Courthouse Set 10 A.M.
Citizens Defending Freedom has had a very difficult time getting responses to their information requests for curriculum data and have sued the district. A hearing will be held at the downtown Fernandina Beach County Courthouse (8th street) on Tuesday, June 18 at 10 a.m.
Michael Hernandez, from California, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected] and is editor of the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes,” “Nov. 5 Election Day Countdown,” and “Revive America.”