By: Sharon Aron Baron
In this video that’s just been released, the Collier County School Board over on the west coast of Florida doesn’t really understand what free speech means during the public participation portion of their meetings.
The Collier County School District oversees Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island and Immokalee, and in this video, School Board Chair Kathlee Curatolo constantly tells citizens that they can neither discuss school board members, nor the superintendent during their public comments, and consistently interrupt speakers if they so much as mention them.
“You cannot speak of people sir, and if you cannot abide by the rules of civility, we will ask you to leave,” Curatolo tells one man. ” Please focus on your issue and not people.”
Citizens try desperately to skirt around this insane rule by referring to school board members as “public employees” and “individuals” but they are still forbidden to use them when describing issues.
The group Better Collier County Public Schools which describes themselves as “a community for parents, students, teachers, administrators to share information and help improve our schools” posted the video.
One frustrated speaker who was tired of the censorship quoted Voltaire who wrote, “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”