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But deep in HB 1609 was this terrific, tiny little nugget of potentially-explosive power:

Parents shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to content that meets the requirements under sub-sub-subparagraph b.(I), the school district shall discontinue the use of the material.

Now we’re talking.

So the local Moms for Liberty chapter organized 30 people to come to the school board meeting and, during public comment, read explicit passages from 30 different library books, all of which the school board voted to retain in February 2022. It was hard to listen to it in video clips. And the school board couldn’t take it either. All the readings were stopped by School Board Chair Peggy Jones after various amounts of time.

"We are adults and if there are children out there. I understand that. I understand that. But we don't want to be reading that aloud," Indian River County School Board Chairwoman Dr. Peggy Jones said. If you don’t want it read aloud at a School Board meeting, what on Earth is it doing in the library?