TULSA, Okla. — The agenda for Union Public Schools' most recent board meeting was just a few pages long and dealt with routine items.
Until they got to the public comment section — that's when things got fiery.
The meeting started with one woman involved with "Moms for Liberty" reading an erotic excerpt from a book that is allegedly on Union High School’s shelves. She was met with cheers... and jeers – from opponents like Heather Cacoperdo, who believes the book should remain on shelves.
"There are children in high school — where this book is available — who may have had experiences like that," Cacoperdo said, "So it is important for them to be representative in literature."
A social media post spurred Moms for Liberty to speak. Chris Payne, the school’s communication director, sent a tweet to Ryan Walters criticizing the Moms and some of their policies.
The post reads, "Cozying up to this group [Moms for Liberty] and inviting them into the classroom isn't going to normalize their bad behavior. Or are they there to infiltrate and remove "offensive" books? This group doesn't get to decide for everybody."
Janice Danforth with the Moms for Liberty disagrees.
"[We came to] let them know that there are parents, in this district, that are part of Moms for Liberty, and when [Payne] is critical of them, he put those parents in not a nice spot," said Danforth.
Heather Cacoperdo defended Payne.
"Chris Payne is our lifetime-achievement-award-winning communications director. I trust the staff at Union to make the best decisions for our students," Cacoperdo said.
On a national level, the Moms for Liberty is classified as “extremist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Their website says they work to defend parental rights.
Danforth said she believes Payne has the right to his opinions ... within limits.
"He absolutely does, but there’s also a point of professionalism and to be respectful of the community that you represent," Danforth said. "On his Twitter account, he’s saying it’s his personal account, but he has his title on there of who he is."
We spoke with Payne. He told us just because he works for the school district doesn’t mean he loses rights.
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