Collier School Board Member Calls For Crackdown On LGBTQ & Disabled Students

A newly-elected Collier school board member in Florida told the press the day after this Tuesday’s elections that he’d like to bring back corporal punishment, curtail rights for LGBTQ students, and more. During his campaign, Jerry Rutherford was much more moderated in his views saying he wanted to “ensure proper education that helps everyone succeed, improve safety and mental health for students and teachers, and address budgetary concerns.” Wednesday morning, however, his tone changed. https://twitter.com/brooklynmarie/status/1591281819193790464 From Naples News:

Newly elected Collier County school board member Jerry Rutherford wants to bring corporal punishment back to district classrooms, he said the morning after Tuesday’s election.

He added that disabled students’ behavior in particular is “out of control.”

Additionally, he said he’d like to see fewer “rights” for LGBTQ students — or the same extended to religious students who want to practice religion in school.

Rutherford won the District 1 seat away from longtime teacher, administrator and school board member Westberry in the 2022 election with a strong 65.4% of the vote to Westberry’s 34.6%.

Before being elected to the school board (his first foray into elected office), Rutherford argued in favor of handing out Bibles in schools, and protesting Naple’s Pride Festival with a focus against drag shows. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, really, since this is the Sunshine State – where a month after passing the infamous Don’t Say Gay law, online anti-LGBTQ rhetoric quadrupled. On Wednesday, Rutherford explained he has a 5-point agenda he’d like to utilized that includes “mental and physical discipline” – i.e. physical punishment of students in his school district. He told Naples News, “I only went to the principal’s office one time when I was in school and that was when they used the ‘board of education,’ if you get what I’m saying.” Florida is among 18 states that allow corporal punishment. It’s worth noting that the state doesn’t require parental permission to strike a student. State law only requires the parents are notified after the fact. However, Collier County does NOT currently allow corporal punishment. https://twitter.com/craigtimes/status/1591108867400040450