Rather than addressing parents’ concerns about a shockingly inappropriate book on display in an elementary school, school board members simply walked out of the meeting and refused to listen to their constituents.
During a February 11 meeting of the board representing the Penfield Central School District in Rochester, New York, parents filled the room to discuss the book “The Rainbow Parade,” by Emily Neilson — which is a story of a young girl attending a pride parade with her lesbian parents, and features illustrations of naked people, drag queens, and men in sexual BDSM gear.
Have you EVER seen a school board meeting so packed? Penfield, NY 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/d507hsDvyv
— Kimberly DeRosa (@K_DeRosa_NY135) February 11, 2025
While they should have been giving parents time to speak, the school board shut down the meeting before any parents could comment, but 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,” according to Kimberly DeRosa, a mother who attended the meeting.
The school board reportedly told parents that they needed to submit their complaints, which apparently meant that they were not going to allow them to voice their concerns in the public forum.
One board member shockingly told the crowd of parents: “We are here at our board meeting, conducting our business.”
That comment prompted booing from audience, with one parent responding “It’s our board meeting,” and others shouting, “cowards!”
DeRosa, who is also on the executive board of the Monroe County Federated Republican Women, pointed out that this was “a slap in the face to everyone there when the board members walked out before any public comments could be made.”
While the board members did not return to the meeting, the parents stayed to express their anger over the inappropriate book, which a fifth grader brought home, prompting outrage from the child’s parents. “The Rainbow Parade” is available to all children as young as kindergarten in the school library, and is even put in a special area on display to attract kids’ attention.
BIG SCANDAL UNFOLDING in Penfield Central School District in New York:
A kindergartner reportedly came home with a book about attending an LGBTQ pride parade which included pictures of naked people and men in bondage fetish gear.
Parents showed up to demand an explanation and… pic.twitter.com/ogLmPd0yIW
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 12, 2025
The disturbing book includes this abhorrent text: “The sidewalk outside is filled with people waiting for the parade to start. Everyone is wearing whatever makes them feel most like themselves. Even if that means wearing hardly anything at all.”
In the illustration, there are several naked people and two men in BDSM harnesses holding hands.
Speaking to The Daily Wire, DeRosa relayed the sentiment of the parents at the meeting, stating: “Moving forward, we want to see all sexually-explicit material and dangerous ideology removed from schools. Our children deserve a quality education and healthy learning environment.”
“We, as a community, are more united than ever,” she added. “We were the majority for the first time here.”
DeRosa also noted that parents are going to be voting for new school board members in May, and the candidates for those positions were present during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the parents who stayed behind also expressed concerns that the school has been allowing “woke” ideology to infect the district — with one father alleging that students have been identifying as cats, but when people speak out about the disruption this causes, they are reprimanded.
A father who spoke about his concerns at OUR meeting, after the Penfield School Board walked out on us last night.
The school board may not want to hear it, so let’s make sure EVERYONE hears what he has to say. pic.twitter.com/YCsXmxUu48
— Kimberly DeRosa (@K_DeRosa_NY135) February 12, 2025
