Two Connecticut school board members resign amid book-ban controversy

Two Republican members of the Newtown Board of Education resigned Wednesday morning amid a book-banning debate, Board Chair Deborra Zukowski confirmed to the Courant.

Members Janet Kuzma and Jennifer Larkin left in the midst of a controversy over the proposed banning, or restriction, of two coming-of-age novels in the high school library.

The board, with those two spots vacant, now seats three Democrats and two Republicans.

At the board’s May 16 meeting, Larkin and Kuzma, alongside Zukowski, voted no on a motion to provide unrestricted student access to “Flamer” by Mike Curato and “Blankets” by Craig Thompson. The board’s three Democrats voted in favor of unrestricted access.

With that vote a 3-3 deadlock — Republican Donald Ramsey was absent — the vote was rescheduled to a special meeting on Thursday evening.

Democratic Town Committee Chair Alex Villamil said the meeting and vote will go on as scheduled, with the five remaining members.

Kuzma’s resignation letter was posted on the Facebook page of the Newtown Republican Town Committee. In it, Kuzma expressed disgust with her fellow citizens’ actions during the controversy, but denied that the controversy drove her to resign:

“While the timing of my resignation may be questionable with a much anticipated vote planned for this week, I need to be clear that my departure is not a result of the issue at hand. The issue and vote are irrelevant at this point. There will always be another issue, another vote,” Kuzma wrote. “My decision to resign comes after the abhorrent and vile behavior at the previous BOE meeting on May 16th. Moreover, I am resigning due to the complete lack of condemnation of this behavior by leadership at all levels. As adults in our community, we should be setting an example for our students by modeling respectful behavior and condemning poor behavior, especially when done in the presence of students.”

Zukowski released a statement: “It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Janet Kuzma and Jenn Larkin have resigned from the Board of Education. They both were very committed to all of our students and families, as well as dedicated to the overall work of the Board. Their energy, tenaciousness, team spirit, and constructive contributions to our discussions will be sorely missed.”

“Blankets” is autobiographical. “Flamer” is semi-autobiographical. “Flamer” is a story about a bullied Filipino teen who realizes he is gay. “Blankets” is a story about an abused young man raised in an evangelical Christian family who experiences first love.

The American Library Association released a list in April of the most-challenged books of 2022. “Flamer” was No. 4.

In the release, ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada stated “The list also illustrates how frequently stories by or about LGBTQ+ persons, people of color and lived experiences are being targeted by censors.”

In Newtown, the controversy over the books reached a fever pitch on Tuesday, when Newtown Allies for Change, which opposes the banning of “Flamer” and “Blankets,” posted on its Facebook page a list of the people who asked that the books be banned.

Nicole Maddox and Kate McGrady, executive committee members of NAFC, said in a phone interview on Wednesday that the list was acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request to the school board.

“It’s a transparency post,” Maddox said. “People have the right to understand who it is behind all of this.”

The nine names the group posted on Facebook as calling for the banning of “Flamer” are Melissa Gomez, Matt Sullivan, Joseph Martins, Amy Sullivan, Michelle Doyle, Jennifer Nicoletti, Carey Schierloh, Kersti Ferguson and William DeRosa.

Lisa Kessler is listed as the one person who objected to “Blankets.”

DeRosa is chairman of Newtown Republican Town Committee and is on the town Legislative Council. Ferguson is a Republican member of the town Planning and Zoning Commission, and is DeRosa’s wife. Schierloh is married to a Republican member of the town Board of Selectmen. Kessler is a Republican on the town Legislative Council.

Email requests for comment to DeRosa, Kessler and Schierloh were not returned.

Gomez returned a message. She said she didn’t object to her name being listed on the Facebook page, because she has been open from the start that she was one of the objectors. But she said she disapproved of the others’ inclusion.

“I think it’s highly inappropriate,” she said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to exploit parents who are concerned and have a different point of view than you do.”

The school board special meeting will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at Newtown High School Auditorium, 12 Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook. It is the only item on the agenda. The meeting also can be seen on live stream at youtube.com/watch?v=6NYlsWA6a1Y.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com