Turning Point USA

School board members of the Penfield Central School District in Rochester, New York, walked out of a meeting Tuesday night after facing backlash from parents over a book on display at an elementary school library. The book, The Rainbow Parade, features a young girl attending a pride parade with her lesbian parents. Parents objected to illustrations in the book, which reportedly include men in BDSM gear, drag queens, and nudity.

During the meeting, the board’s president abruptly adjourned the session before allowing parents to voice their concerns. According to The Daily Wire, attendee Kimberly DeRosa explained the meeting ended after “more than an hour of presentations celebrating Black History Month and the superintendent detailing the process of submitting objections to books in the school.” Instead of being permitted to speak, parents were simply told to submit their complaints.

“We are here at our board meeting, conducting our business,”  a board member stated before being met with boos from the crowd. One parent responded, “It’s our board meeting,” while others shouted, “Cowards!”

DeRosa described the board’s walkout as “a slap in the face to everyone there when the board members walked out before any public comments could be made.” Parents reportedly remained in the room, voicing frustration over the book, which had been brought home by a fifth-grader and was available to students as young as kindergarten. Parents also noted that the book was displayed in a way that appeared to draw students’ attention.

“Moving forward, we want to see all sexually-explicit material and dangerous ideology removed from schools,” DeRosa told The Daily Wire. “Our children deserve a quality education and healthy learning environment.”

“We, as a community, are more united than ever,” she said. “We were the majority for the first time here.” She added that parents will vote for new school board members in May. Candidates for those positions were in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.